How does Social Media Affect Teenagers?

Over time, social media has come to play a larger role in the lives of many people, especially teenagers. Most teenagers probably couldn't spend a day without using social media if they tried. “I couldn't imagine my life without it,” John Jay High School sophomore Ayaka Sakuma states. High schoolers have ultimately become the main target group of social media use. The lifestyles and media we see on social media every day can impact how we feel and act without us even noticing it. It is important that we learn how to properly manage and utilize the correct social media habits to generate and maintain a healthy lifestyle.

How can high schoolers use social media to benefit their lives?

Most teens use their phones and social media for entertainment purposes. According to a John Jay student, using social media is a great source of entertainment to help wind down from a long school day. The things you see on social media can also expand your knowledge or help you learn new things. Even if you are just scrolling through TikTok or Instagram, you could be learning new things like food recipes, positive affirmations, healthy lifestyle practices, and more. Spending time on social media can also help you catch up with new events and trends, including new popular music, sports updates, celebrity gossip, and other news. This can be a great advantage, especially for teenagers in high school looking to advance their quality of life and stay connected with the world around them.

How does social media impact relationship skills?

Especially as a teenager in high school, making or keeping friendships can be difficult. For some, communication and building relationships can be easier with the use of social media. Through joining communities and groups, you can meet new people and be opened up to new experiences in which you can connect with others. However, in some cases, social media can harm relationships. Getting familiar with communicating over social media can overpower one's ability to have face-to-face conversations with others, causing social anxiety issues. Overusing social media can cause you to grow distant and harm your relationships with others. It is important that online and in-person communication are balanced to maintain healthy relationships with others.

How can social media harm your self-esteem?

Although social media is often seen as a great way for teenagers to connect with others and entertain themselves, some downsides come with the misuse or overuse of social media. Social media is designed to captivate the attention of people, forcing them to keep scrolling for long periods of time. Many influencers display their lives as “perfect” to gain more popularity and viewers from the public. Teenagers often compare themselves and their lives to the image of picture-perfect people with flawless lives on the internet, creating the belief that lives on the internet are “normal.” Teenagers start to believe that their lives, or themselves as people, aren't good enough, and they can develop a harmed self-esteem. 

Cyberbullying and Harassment on Social Media

One of the most dangerous parts of social media is cyberbullying. Nearly half of teens in the US have experienced cyberbullying. Phones can be a dangerous weapon when it comes to something even as small as posting a “funny” picture of another person. Next thing you know, that photo could be circulated and shared across the screens of your entire school, causing you to become a target for online bullying. John Jay has created a new phone policy and taken important steps to reduce the chances of online harassment occurring for its students. No matter how many policies are enforced, teenagers must always be fully aware of the risks of posting certain things on the internet. 

Social Media Effects on Mental Health

Studies have shown that as social media use has increased over time, the rate of teenagers facing depression and anxiety has increased, leading them to face symptoms that affect their everyday lives. Social media and phones can be a distraction to teenagers in high school. This leads them to feel constantly unmotivated to do things like homework or even simple life tasks, causing increased anxiety and stress. “I find that social media has become a distraction for most people,” said French teacher Madame Stacchini regarding high school students. Overusing social media, especially before bed, can also lead to teenagers not getting enough sleep. This has a major impact on teenagers' moods, especially if they have to wake up early for school every day. It is crucial that social media is managed daily and the mental health of teenagers is prioritized over anything to sustain healthy lifestyles.

Teenagers in high school face a lot of difficulties in their everyday lives, and increases in the use of social media have created positive and negative aspects that impact them. The management of social media and prioritization of teenagers' health is necessary to improve the quality of their lives.