Effects of Social Media on Adolescents

910 Words2 Pages

Recent advancements in technology have created a new form of communication. We call this new type of communication social media. Some of the big names in social media are Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat and Instagram. Most people today use some form of social media on a daily basis. Social media is most popular amongst adolescents. According to a poll conducted by Infographic, nine out of ten teenagers have used social media. Whenever a new technological advancement occurs there is concern over how it will affect society. In the case of social media, the concern is greatest for adolescents. So, how does social media effect adolescents? Social media can have both negative and positive effects. Some of the effects of using social media can be depression, addiction, cyberbullying and exposure to inappropriate content.

One of the most concerning effects of social media is depression. When teens create an online identity, they are often displaying an unauthentic self. This “other” self is often what the person wants to be like. Having to jump from the online self to the real self can often lead to depression. In an article in the Huffington Post, Dr. Jim Taylor calls this Facebook depression. The American Academy of Pediatrics states that “Researchers have proposed a new phenomenon called “Facebook depression,” defined as depression that develops when preteens and teens spend a great deal of time on social media sites, such as Facebook, and then begin to exhibit classic symptoms of depression.” (802). Facebook and other social media outlets create an almost high school-like environment outside of school where the teen has to strive for acceptance as well. Dr. Moreno tells the New York Times that ...

... middle of paper ...

...Times,10 Jan. 2012. Web. 10 Nov. 2013.

portal-more-than-pitfall.html>

O'Keeffe, Gwenn Schurgin, and Kathleen Clarke-Pearson. "Clinical Report--The Impact Of

Social Media On Children, Adolescents, And Families." Pediatrics 127.4 (2011): 800-

804. Academic Search Complete. Web. 16 Nov. 2013.

85db-38034f238ec9>

Taylor, Dr. Jim. "The Bad, the Ugly, and the Good of Children's Use of Social Media." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 28 May 2013. Web. 18 Nov. 2013.

the_b_3346768.html>

Open Document