With social media platforms such as Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, and TikTok continuing to be highly used apps, and devices collectively connecting 5.17 billion users, issues are bound to arise from this frequent usage.
Currently, teens make up a large portion of these users and spend a significant portion of their lives on social media, with the average teen spending over 4 hours daily on these platforms. This high usage of social media has been linked to an increase in bullying, suicide risk, and depression.
Social interactions that once took place in person, are now occurring online, leading teens to believe that their actions won’t have any repercussions. Furthermore, once something is released on the internet, it can never be fully removed as it can be saved and reposted.
The fact remains that nothing can be truly erased from the internet, and people may think they are acting anonymously, but everything they do can be traced back.
When students scroll through these apps, they see the “perfect” lives of others—their relationships, wealth, physiques, and happiness. Teens often compare themselves to these portrayals and experience worsened mental health as a result. While some people may appear to be living “perfect” lives, the vast majority are far from it—many are depressed and sad themselves, with edited photos of their bodies and a lavish lifestyle that only exists on social media.
Social media is a double-edged sword that has its fair share of positives and negatives. Currently, the negative aspects are being abused, and its usage should be regulated until better cultural practices regarding social media’s prevalence are implemented.
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