In an age where smartphones are an extension of our daily lives, social media has emerged as a daily routine for teenagers, shaping their identities, relationships, and mental health.
Social media has an intense impact on the lives of teenagers. While social media can offer opportunities for connection, it also has a very damaging effect on teens. One of the most concerning impacts of social media is increased anxiety and depression. Many teens feel pressured to recreate “imaginary” lives on social media when scrolling on apps such as Snapchat, Tiktok, Instagram, etc. Teens feel the need to compare their lives to others on social media which can cause them to develop major FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out), making them feel like they are missing out on experiences that other people are enjoying. According to Pew Research Center article (Teens, Social Media and Technology 2023)
, A whopping 95% of teens use social media daily and according to Baylor University Article (Fear of missing out (FOMO) Plus social media connections can equal), Their data shows that 75% of these teens experience FOMO.
Social media serves as a perfect platform for cyberbullying. Due to social media’s anonymity, users can create accounts without using their real identities. This encourages bullies to harass others without the risk of taking immediate consequences. With the ability to post and instantly message a person, harmful content can be spread rapidly in a matter of seconds. Social media is available 24/7 meaning bullies have unlimited access to target different people’s lives. Through a person’s social media account, a cyberbully can find personal information and use it against their target. . Over recent studies, according to Avast.com’s article, “Cyberbullying: what you need to know”, nearly half of US teens face cyberbullying daily. Cyberbullying is a serious issue, especially for this generation, because it can have an emotional effect on an individual as well as even cause them physical harm.
Along with this, social media can disrupt teens’ sleep schedules. Due to how addicting social media can be, many teenagers find themselves scrolling through feeds very late at night, often losing track of time. As they engage in the wonderful content displayed on their screens, their sleep schedules take significant damage as sleep hours are decreased. Teens need roughly 8-10 hours of sleep each night. With social media, teens roughly gain around 4-5 hours of sleep which is not enough time for the brain to relax and wake up again fully. Due to social media, the daily life of an average teenager is heavily affected. This disruption affects their health and well-being and can hinder their social relationships. Social media creates a bubble of isolation, FOMO, miscommunication, and distractions. Due to this, most social media apps such as Instagram, have time limits for teens under 16. Limiting social media time can counter this bubble that social media creates.
As a result of the negative effects of social media on teens, they are completely trapped in their own virtual world of anxiety, depression, and cyberbullying.
