The Effects of Social Media on Adolescents and Teens
Social media has taken over a majority of everyday life and it's tragic to witness almost everyone with eyes glued to the screen. This social issue is important to me because I feel fortunate to have grown up in a generation where technology and media weren't much of a necessity as it is seen today. I was able to have the opportunities to socialize with kids my age by playing in the backyard or partake in other fun activities. Nowadays I feel much of that occurs less with social media and the technology age growing more apparent. It makes younger audiences less sociable to people their age and more dependent on such devices rather than viewing it as a leisure activity. They'll eventually lack the social skills needed to develop interpersonal relationships.
This is relevant to other members of my community since all the kids I grew up with are now having families of their own. I feel it should be brought to their attention that it be important to limit the time younger audiences spend on social media and other forms of technology in exchange with socializing more (whether it be with people their age or their own family).
In a 2018 study on social media platforms and technology in general, it is stated that 95% of teens from the ages of 13-17 have a smartphone in their possession. This percentage is a 22-point-percentage increase from 3 years prior and gives them easy immediate access to social media. Teenagers were asked in this study whether or not they felt social media had a positive impact, no impact, or a negative impact on individuals their age. Roughly less than half (45%) were neutral to its effects. 31% of teens claimed social media to have a positive impact in terms of connectivity while 24% of teens stated it having a negative impact, showing concern about it being a bullying platform, encouraging less human interaction, peer pressure, and creating a distortion of reality (Anderson and Jiang, 2018).
Stemming off peer pressure being a concern, a more specific study found that the influence of peers with regards to Instagram "likes" has an effect on an individual's behavior. This study observed brain activity when an individual viewed an Instagram photo with many likes using an fMRI. When viewing a popular photo, the social cognition area of the brain was active. Social cognition is prominent in adolescent years since it is during this time where social cognition is being developed (Sherman, Payton, Hernandez, Greenfield, and Dapretto, 2016). Adolescents will be more receptive to what others their age are interested in and will behave accordingly. This study found that if an Instagram photo received a large amount of likes, it would influence an adolescent to like the same picture whether it depicted a risky behavior or not. Some examples of risky behaviors that were shown were smoking and drinking alcohol (Sherman et al., 2016). Social media can expose adolescents to many different types of things and can also influence their behaviors to such an extent. This is not to say that if an adolescent is exposed to a popular image of risky behavior that they will immediately follow in its tracks, but if they were to be surrounded by risky activities off-screen that they could as well be influenced.
Social media can inhibit one's ability to communicate face-to-face and thus prevent the ability to form meaningful interpersonal relationships. It is prominent that during the stages of adolescence and teenage years that individuals learn how to develop these aspects. How an individual behaves on-screen versus in person varies since technology allows them to hide behind a screen. What we can do to limit the amount of time younger audiences spend on their phones and social media is to encourage them to find a hobby they could be interested in or encouraging them to spend time with friends outside of school. Another idea would be to set familial rules such as "no phones allowed at the dinner table" along with other similar family activities.
Interviews
"As a parent, I definitely agree that adolescents must limit their time on social media because nowadays, all you can see are kids from elementary to high school and to college with their smartphones in their hands. They are always busy texting, chatting, and scanning each other's social media accounts. I have a 4-year old grandson who is already very attached to his phone and tablet and it bothers me a whole lot. In my point of view, kids should be playing on the playground and not on their phone and adolescents should spend time with their friends offline. They need to interact with people their age, socialize more, and limit their time on social media to be a well-rounded individual."
- Marites Samson
- John Meek
"I feel like social media gives children this blanket of false security. They become obsessed with the aesthetic around themselves and think more about the opinion of others rather than their own opinion of themselves. I think when kids are exposed to the media and what a majority of other people find acceptable could alter their own judgement just based on the number of likes or views. I feel everyone should be able to enjoy the opportunity technology gives us, but in moderation."
- Cathy Buenviaje
References
Anderson, M., & Jiang, J. (2018, May 31). Teens, Social Media & Technology 2018. Retrieved March 28, 2019, from http://publicservicesalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Teens-Social-Media-Technology-2018-PEW.pdfSherman, L. E., Payton, A. A., Hernandez, L. M., Greenfield, P. M., & Dapretto, M. (2016, May 31). The Power of the Like in Adolescence: Effects of Peer Influence on Neural and Behavioral Responses to Social Media. Retrieved April 3, 2019, from https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0956797616645673
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