Author: Shuhan Yu
Editors: Ian Cho, Emily Yu
Artist: Christina Chen
Social media is now so much a part of daily life that it is used by 5.07 billion people worldwide. At least 90% of teenagers are regular users, increasing worries about the impact of social media on development. Adolescence is a fragile stage in life, governed by many physical, cognitive, logical, and social changes. It’s a period of growth for brain areas related to attention, feedback sensitivity, and self-regulation. During this formative time, social media greatly affects self-esteem, behaviors, and sleep patterns, all of which have played an influential role in human development.
Social media often negatively impacts the self-esteem of teenagers. The Rosenberg Self Esteem Scale (RSES) was used to measure self-esteem levels among 500 participants aged 13–17 who were assessed on their daily use of social media. 40% of teens mainly use social media for text messaging, while the remaining 60% use it to share images and videos. The average self-esteem score was 28.5 and ranged between 20 and 40, with higher scores meaning higher self-esteem. Notably, the 40% who mainly used it for texting had higher self‐esteem when compared to the 60% who constantly checked social media apps for photos and clips. The texters were less exposed to negative influences such as idealized beauty standards and comparison-driven content.
Issues regarding body image are particularly prevalent in teenagers who spend time on social media. People choose to look at these pictures on apps such as Instagram, which may result in them comparing themselves to others. In most cases, when one feels left out in gatherings where friends are hanging out together on their social platforms, it leaves individuals feeling like their lives could never be as good as those they see online, hence lowering their perception of themselves. This phenomenon is called the Fear of Missing Out (FOMO). A validation-seeking behavior is a behavior where some individuals constantly pursue likes, comments, and shares, which feed their addiction to social media.
Social media usage can greatly disturb adolescents’ sleep patterns, especially before bedtime. This is in part due to: Screens emit blue light that may affect melatonin levels, the hormone responsible for sleep, leading to trouble sleeping. Increased Sleep Latency: Interacting with exciting content or going through highs and lows in your emotions on social media might make it take longer to fall asleep, which shortens the amount of time you spend sleeping overall. Furthermore, negative headlines or arguments on social media platforms such as Facebook or Twitter can cause anxiety.
Social media can mold the behavior of young people, often in negative ways. This can include: Eating disorders: Social media often promotes unrealistic body image standards, and the pressure to achieve a "perfect" body can drive teenagers to adopt unhealthy eating and exercise habits. Influencers play a significant role by creating and popularizing hashtags that encourage harmful practices, such as fasting for days or consuming only water. These trends spread quickly, creating a culture that normalizes and even glamorizes restrictive dieting and intense workout routines. As a result, social media can foster an environment where extreme and potentially dangerous behaviors become more common.
Social media has played a significant role in making substance use such as marijuana and vaping appear acceptable among young people which can quickly lead to addiction. Social media promotes drug abuse behaviors among adolescents, both directly and indirectly. They may come across drug-related content online or experience peer pressure feeling the need to follow online trends as a path to social acceptance. Also, mental health issues can be worsened by cyberbullying and social media-induced anxiety; taking drugs can help teens feel better about themselves.
Social media can lead to a disconnect between how adolescents present themselves online and their real-life experiences. Some teenagers may only share photos of special events, like vacations or catching up with friends, rather than their daily conflicts, to project a perfect image. This creates unrealistic standards for others to compare themselves to. The use of photo editing and filters further contributes to this problem, as individuals often create an idealized version of themselves, causing a noticeable difference between their online and offline appearances.
It’s a serious problem that arises from digital interactions and can cause significant emotional harm. Some adolescents may either engage in bullying or become targets themselves. Bullies might use text messages or social media to send unpleasant messages or threats repeatedly, which can deeply affect the emotional well-being of their targets. Public shaming involves criticizing or dehumanizing someone by sharing humiliating or private images and information online without their consent. Additionally, spreading harmful or false rumors online can damage someone’s relationships and reputation, causing further emotional distress.
In today’s society, it is impossible to ignore social media. Therefore, we cannot forget about it when talking about our youth because its effects remind us that some regulations should be put in place while engaging with them. Healthy usage of different platforms should be promoted Along with important media education, creating an environment in which people feel safe regardless of where they are. It is crucial to understand how social media affects a person’s self-esteem, sleep patterns, and conduct for young people to develop into good adults.
Citations:
Ehmke, Rachel. “Social Media Effects on Teens | Impact of Social Media on Self-Esteem.”
Child Mind Institute, 24 May 2024, https://childmind.org/article/how-using-social-media-
affects-teenagers/. Accessed 30 July 2024.
Omer, Humera. “(PDF) The Influence of Social Media on Adolescents' Self-Esteem.”
ResearchGate, 11 March 2024, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/374461067
_The_Influence_of_Social_Media_on_Adolescents'_Self-Esteem. Accessed 30 July 2024.
Weir, Kirsten. “Social media brings benefits and risks to teens. Psychology can help identify
a path forward.” American Psychological Association, 1 September 2023,
July 2024.
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