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By: Allyssa Culp
By: Allyssa Culp
Ninety percent of teenagers, ages 13 to 17, report having at least one social media account, according to a study conducted by the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Out of that 90 percent, 51 percent report that they visit a social media site daily.
Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and TikTok are popular forms of social media amongst teens. Many teens have more than one account on these social media platforms.
Social media sites have the option for the account to be public, meaning it can be viewed by anyone, or the account is private, meaning the owner of the account must approve a follow.
Public social media accounts are appealing to teens because gaining large amounts of followers is a confidence boost. However, many teens are not careful about what they post and may accidentally share private information such as where they are, what school they attend, or even where their home is located. This information can give a potential predator access to the teenager.
Private social media accounts are less appealing because they are more restrictive. The people who can view the content posted is limited which makes forming an online community more difficult. Though private accounts are less appealing, they give less of a chance for a predator to gain information about you.
Benefits of social media include increased communication with friends, finding a place in a new community of people, meeting new people with shared interest and sharing artwork or music.
While social media presents many benefits to teenagers, there are also many downsides to owning an account.
A major downside of social media is the exposure to dangerous people. These social media platforms allow anyone to have an account. These people can post things such as inappropriate photos or videos of drug usage, sex, violence and illegal activities.
A prominent danger is the use of social media for human trafficking. Many older individuals use social media to target young people since they are a vulnerable group. Messages encouraging teens to send explicit messages and photos are not only dangerous, but also common.
Another downside of social media is the negative effects on teens’ mental health. An article written by the staff of Mayo Clinic shares that many teenagers report increased feelings of anxiety and depression the more time they spend on social media.
By scrolling through social media, teens are exposed to pictures that give unrealistic ideologies and expectations. Many individuals, especially celebrities, edit their pictures and are selective about what they post. This leads to negative self-image and negative self-talk among the current teenage generation.
Limited amounts of social media can be positive for communication, expression and growth. Excessive amounts of scrolling on social media can have negative effects such as exposure to dangerous people, risk of trafficking, poor mental health and unrealistic self image.
Interested in learning more? Read these studies and articles:
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