We are all guilty of spending hours scrolling through infinite social media posts. Social interactions are a major part of life and social media is a great way to build new connections, ease stress, and provide comfort.
Many people think these little apps are just for fun but little do they know, there are rising concerns tying social media to serious mental and emotional health threats. Younger generations are relying increasingly on Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat to replace real-life human interaction without realizing the potential harm.
“Social media can definitely connect us and it can connect students to what’s happening in other people’s lives daily. But I think on the flip side, it can also be used inappropriately in an unexpected way, […] almost as a daily journal for the world to see invasive private moments that weren’t meant for all to track and share,” Mental Health Specialist Rebekah Howard said.
Teens do not only put their mental health at risk but they put their privacy at risk. The fact that private accounts are not truly private goes unnoticed by most. The Pew Research Center did a study and teen social media users did not express a high level of concern about third-party access to their data; just 9% say they are “very” concerned.
“I believe some students may not realize they’re putting their vulnerabilities online while they’re also still trying to figure out who they are […] We’re losing some of our social connections, giving away our privacy, and disconnecting from tonality with other people,” Howard said.
Teens spend hours casually scrolling and reminiscing about what party that guy was at, or that one top the girl was wearing in her post from two years ago. These hours truly impact the human brain whether it is noticed or not.
“In The New York Times, it’s been found in Facebook’s internal research that teen girls who used Instagram had begun to feel worse about themselves, which led to an increase in depression and anxiety,” junior Aenea Mangolini, who wrote a research paper on the topic of social media impacts, said.
According to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 90% of teens ages 13-17 have used social media. Additionally, these teens are online for almost 9 hours a day, not including homework.
Some students do not reflect on their usage of social media. They disregard the fact they are procrastinating their work or chores without checking the time.
“I probably spend about 4 hours a day on social media but I feel like I’d get more sleep if I didn’t have social media,” junior Leia Seevers said.
Not only does social media take up time, but it also identifies trends. It adjusts your feed to what you click on every day and filters through enormous amounts of content to fit your interests.
“In an article by KSL, it was revealed that these companies use specific strategies and algorithms to target people. Especially because teenagers’ brains aren’t fully developed so they’re more susceptible to becoming addicted to these algorithms,” Mangolini said.
If you think about your Instagram feed today and the content you click on when it is appealing, you will start to see this trend of similar content appearing.
“This is a new technology that can change your future. I think, for young people, it can also prevent them from taking a brain break. It is so critical to pause the world. Some research is showing that we’re taking in more information in 24 hours than a human normally would in a lifetime,” Howard said.
Teens are putting their lives out there for everyone to see and it is very unsafe. Most teens use these social media platforms for a sense of assurance and comfort. Teens are so caught up in other peoples’ thoughts and forget to stop themselves. The most important question is “Why do we care so much?”
“When all of that energy goes out into other people’s social media pages, and algorithms, where was that same time spent? Was it spent putting loving energy back into yourself versus loving everything out there in social media?” Howard said.
Teens have to start looking at the real-life consequences that come with social media. You might not be affected by it but you might see someone whom it has taken a toll on.
“I have not had personal harm from social media but I’ve seen other individuals be harmed by it. But I think it can do just as good as it can do bad. It can inspire you to try new things, it might give you quick help if you don’t know how to do something. There are some good alternatives out there,” Seevers said.
All teens need to start taking a step back and thinking of ways to protect themselves from these algorithms of social media. There are many other ways to share experiences aside from social media so it is important to remember the importance of human connection.