ATS1297 Academic Writing

Effects of Social Media

The impact of social media has been not a hidden issue anymore. As there has been an increase in its users among which teenagers remain the most established users. According to research 86% of individuals use these platforms from the age ranging between 18 to 29 years (Ehmke, 2020). This increase in the users is not a mere issue because its effects are seen to be developing with an increase in mental disorders like depression and anxiety. The chosen type for the essay is persuasive. The two texts chosen for the essay are, When Social Media Is Really Problematic for Adolescents by The New York Times and How Using Social Media Affects Teenagers by child mind organization. This essay will deal with the impacts of social media on teenagers and how these impacts extend to the mental wellbeing of the individual. This followed with a further discussion on the steps that could be adopted by parents to limit the negative effect of social media on their children.

Teenagers are masters when it comes to keeping themselves occupied after school hours, among which mobile phones remain the highest priority. There seems to be a multi-tasking ability created among the teenagers as they are seen multitasking with their social media use and homework. This does lead to a decrease in productivity of an individual as it enables them to focus on the task at hand (Ehmke, 2020). But the impact of social media does not end on productivity in fact it extends itself to the communication that takes place between today’s teenagers, unlike the old days where teenagers were found hanging at the mall or doing something new to use their time.

Now due to social media, this aimless hanging around has been ceased to the texts and chats on their phones which not only makes them less productive but also takes them away from reality. Modern teenagers participate in the majority of the conversations through their cell phones rather than face-to-face interaction which is a very crucial social skill. According to Dr. Catherines Steiner-Adair, the author of The Big Disconnect, “As a species, we are highly attuned to reading social cues”. He also states that this indirect communication between teenagers puts everyone is in a nonverbal context as both sides develop communication that lacks facial expressions and vocal reactions that are needed for effective communication (Perri, 2019).

Social media has a direct link with the mental health of an individual as it impacts the mental and emotional wellbeing of an individual. There has been an increase in the suicide rate with the influence of social media. According to a published report in JAMA suicide rate among kids from the age of 10 to 19 has increased as an impact of media use among these boys remain higher in the rate but the gap in the rates has narrowed as there has been an increase in the percentage of the girls between the age group 10 to 14 (Perri, 2019). The study also demonstrated that the impact of social media can be considered a public health issue that requires further investigation on its impact.

Dr. Michael Rich a professor at Harvard Medical School provided answers to these complex relationships between suicide and social media. According to him, the focus should be laid on observing the whole picture when it comes to using social media. There has been an increasing debate on the connection between social media and mental health (Ehmke, 2020). According to research children involved in the problematic behaviour of being highly influenced by gaming and social media occur due to already underlying mental issues like depression and anxiety which tends to make them vulnerable when dealing with social media.

As children with anxiety issues tend me more influenced by what they see on the social platform and are personally linked to the identity represented on the media. This tends to create a more negative influence as the information processed from social media can be harmful to individuals who lack the ability to understand a normal mind set. Teenagers of the present time also tend to lack the ability to develop closer bonds and friendships because of the influence of social media (Ehmke, 2020). As texting and chatting are very far from the direct conversations that are required to maintain relationships. This also leads to the formation of a comfortable space that does not require a hearing and seeing effects. But this tends to affect the personality of the individual as one becomes more comfortable in nonverbal communication which makes the teenagers feel anxious when placed in the reality where talking is the most convenient form of communication.

And this also develops barriers in future relationships and employment, as the individual finds it more difficult to present himself or herself in career opportunities because of the consciousness developed from the existing far away from reality. The other major impact which tends to influence the rate of suicide is the way communication occurs on social platforms. According to Dr. Donna Wick, children tend to text cruel things which are harsh as they are unaware of its impact on the other person reading those texts (Ehmke, 2020).

This insensitive behaviour affects the mental health of the children which makes them more prone to developing identities that are accepted by the other. This leads to the identity crisis in children who tends to be so highly influenced by the content of the media that they create and shape their identity based on those content (Perri, 2019). This can lead to a decrease in the capability of the children as it creates low self-esteem which enables them to cope with the differences that exist in them. These things have a furthermore intense effect as it comes out in the way of body shaming which makes the individual feel less satisfied with their lives and themselves resulting in self-harm and suicide.

Girls seem to be more vulnerable when it comes to the effects of social media as their identities tend to be formed through these platforms. The concept such as getting maximum likes has become one of the trends which helps in establishing the coolness one carries. When children scroll through their feeds the pressure increases as the feeds of others leave a feeling of dissatisfaction. In the earlier days’ individuals were concerned about their children when they would come across some photo shopped model but with the rise of social media the kid next door is photo shopped. This culture not only fades away the reality but it also encourages fake things, this mentality can have a tremendous effect on the children making them more inclined to develop a social identity that is flawless rather than focusing on the self-growth that is required for every individual (Ehmke, 2020). As Dr. Wick states that children from every young age or around their twenties become aware of the difference they see between who they are and what they want to become.

And as the children grow old they start realizing their strengths and put the effort into their weaknesses but from concepts like social media platforms the gap seems to increase a continuous feeling of dissatisfaction from one’s lifestyle and body image can exhaust the child leaving them depressed. The effect of media also has created a hyper-connectivity which creates pressure among children who do not connect on these platforms (Perri, 2019). As kids are seen updating their profiles, putting stories of their vacations, and sharing locations, this leads to the release of dopamine in individuals as they derive their happiness from the acceptance they feel from their social groups. Every individual needs a little time lonely to develop oneself and to feel relaxed this feeling of loneliness does not seem to exists among children using social media. This not only affects their development but also makes them more prone to depression and anxiety when bonds developed on social media are put at stake.

As there occur conflicts on these social platforms children feel lonelier as the silence offered by the person on the other side tends to have a negative impact on the children’s wellbeing. Dr. Ana Ravodic is a researcher in mental health services according to an interview conducted by her on the children suffering from depression it was learned that there do exist both positive and negative impacts (Ehmke, 2020). The positive impact which was learned from the interview was that social media helped children in finding help from groups on mental health which they did not receive at their homes. But these positive impacts cease when the hard negative impacts are brought up as children suffering from depression can have a more severe situation after being influenced by content.

According to Dr. Radovic, social media is trying to build a safe environment, for example, Instagram is looking at doing away with “likes” to reduce the pressure individuals feel social. Parents play a very crucial role when it comes to the impact of social media on their children (Ehmke, 2020). As they themselves are more inclined to its use which further instigates the child to do the same. Developing zones free of technology can be immense support as it will help in giving the required attention to the child. This will help in developing the required bonds with the children making the parent aware of what they are facing in their lives.

The point of being available and giving the required attention can create a positive mind set for the child making them feel more connected to reality. As social media is one of the reason children look towards when they are neglected by their parents, this leads to need for the attention. And leads the children to getting the attention needed from strangers on their media platforms. This can lead to the dependency of children more on media family when facing an issues resulting in adoption of wrong actions on the issues (Ehmke, 2020). Parents can be of great help in providing the help their child needs if they decided on decreasing the screen time. And this attitude will not only help in dealing with the issues that the children faces but will also create a trust in the relationship with their parents.

Dr. Steiner warns by saying that the mini moments of disconnection a child feels when parents are focused on their devices and screen can highly damage the parent-child relationship which results in the kids turning to the Internet for help (Perri, 2019). Technology may provide the information more than any parent could but it does not deliver the values that are necessary for the child. Dr. Wick also suggests that being as far from technology during the first use can be very helpful as it can limit the dependency the child has on technology like mobile phones (Ehmke, 2020). Getting children involved in the fields which they find interesting can be another help in the happiness of the child as the child will learn to make some real source of happiness making him or her more satisfied than using social media. This would also make them less vulnerable to the influences of the media as they will be aware of their capabilities and interests making them more focused on attaining success in their real lives.

In the end, it can be concluded that social media does have an immense negative impact on the children, as there has been an identity crisis seen among children which further leads to affecting their mental health and wellbeing. There exist several issues like feeling the necessity of a good social image, a connection with the other users, and a constant need to stay connected to the digital world. This strips the child from the reality that he or she needs to be involved in. But there do exist several ways in which parents could help their children from getting out of the negativity that social media creates. And this can be done by the adoption of several practices among which cutting down the use of mobile phones during family time can be a very important practice in making the child feel comfortable about sharing their lives.

References

Ehmke, R. (2020). How Using Social Media Affects Teenagers. Retrieved from Childmind: https://childmind.org/article/how-using-social-media-affects-teenagers/

Perri, K. (2019, 03 3). When Social Media Is Really Problematic for Adolescents. Retrieved from The New York Times: When Social Media Is Really Problematic for Adolescents

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