Danny Bowman's Addiction To Social Media

In early 2014, a sixteen year old boy named Danny Bowman attempted suicide. This attempt was not prompted by bullying or other peer related issues, but by his addiction with taking “selfies”. Danny became increasingly consumed by taking selfies and, as a result, he became more dissatisfied with his personal appearance, leading to his attempted suicide. Social Media addiction is a constant need to be on media like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram or doing something involved with those social media sites. This addiction is fuelled by the increase of cell phones with internet capabilities and the growing accessibility of the internet in general. While I believe this is an addiction which is spreading rapidly amongst the youth of today, others

For an addiction to social media, one of the main factors is internet capability cell phones. Teens spend more time now than ever on cell phones. With the whole internet in the palm of their hands, people today have the ability to check social media as frequently as they wish. A survey of the class showed that seventeen of eighteen people had phones with internet capabilities. When asked how frequently they checked their social media, Brandy Simmons and Barton Kleen had responses which ranged from both extremes of the spectrum, even though both have phones with internet capabilities. Simmons stated “I often go on a hiatus from social media sites for weeks at a time” while Kleen responded by stating “I check my social media accounts around 14 times a day. This includes over six accounts on five different platforms.” Thirteen others said they check their social media more than three times in a day. Having a cell phone with internet capability is like a gateway for the addiction. Once access to the internet is established, teens have access to every social media app there is. Often this access is unlimited, meaning kids can use these apps twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. Much like alcohol or drugs, when someone has unlimited access to something, they start to become reliant on it. The casual activity becomes a part of everyday life. Constant access to social media through mobile devices has played a huge part in the growth of the addiction. While limited exposure to social media can be seemingly harmless and a great way to stay in touch with friends, this constant exposure can have serious repercussions on today’s youth. According to Computers in Human Behavior “On average, Students who used social networking sites while studying scored 20% lower on tests and students who used social media had an average GPA of