Social Media Impact on Teenagers

Social Media Impact on Teenagers

Nowadays it is easier to get access to the internet and the social media. It just takes a couple of clicks to share everything with your friends, chat with them and do research on topics and questions. Although the social media has some disadvantages, such as cyberbullying and game addiction. There is no doubt that teenagers are spending more time online, and that can impact them both positively and negatively.  

The internet has a greater impact on all teenagers today, than ever before. It has become a frequent source of communication, news, entertainment and not at least education for all teenagers. One of the advantages of social media is that you can keep in touch with your friends and family, in an easy way. Social media have given us the opportunity to connect with people and to build better relationships with friends instead of meeting them personally. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other social networks are the most visited destinations on the internet. (UK essays 2016) Pew Internet Projects research (UK essays 2016), shows that 67% of online adults use social networks. However, this data shows us that social media can influence the students and adults to improve their learning. On the other hand, teachers can create discussion forums, class blogs and online teaching videos. Another positive aspect of social media is that teenagers can practice foreign languages by chatting with other teenagers in other countries. Therefore, the social media can influence teenagers positively.

On the other hand, there are also negative consequences of social media. A recent report by Common Sense Media (2015) says that teens in the United States spend about nine hours using social media for their enjoyment. "I think the sheer volume of media technology that kids are exposed to on a daily basis is mind-boggling," said James Steyer, the founder of Common Sense Media, in an interview with CNN.(Hadad, C.,2016). Teens often say that they are using social media while doing their homework. A study in Stratford found that multitasking during homework affect the ability to learn. (Wallace, K., 2016).  Another negative side of social media is that some teens become addicted to online gaming. 62% of teen boys say that they enjoy playing video games a lot, towards 20% of girls. (Wallace, K., 2016) Gaming can lead to negative effects on their schoolwork, their health and their social lives. In addition, overuse of social media and internet can cause to isolation. Some teenagers barely talk to their family because they are always on the computer or the mobile. In a study, researchers at the UCLA brain mapping center (2016) found that teenagers are highly influenced by “likes” on social media. Receiving “likes” activates the part of the brain called the nucleus accumbens. This part of the brain became activated, when the teens in the study saw a large number of likes in their own photos. (E, S., 2016) Susie East (2016) describes this process in the brain, similar to winning a prize that inspire you to work harder and more. A major disadvantage of social media is cyberbullying. For instance, it is easy to contact a person on social network platform, and this can lead to a lot more bullying in the social media.