Social media is a collective of websites and apps where you can share your content or create with the world. It’s pretty slick. You can also mix in responses to content posted by others. ፩Content such as pictures, text, likes/dislikes/comments on posts, certain pieces of stuff shared on social media, and hyperlinks to more stuff all count as ‘content’. Electronically sharing information with a social media network can help a great number of people stay connected to friends or make friends in the first place. This may be particularly important for teens compared to other age groups. Friendships can provide teens with a support system and a role in shaping their identities. It is only logical to wonder how this is impacting teens if people are using social media.
Social media is such an integral asset to a teenager’s life since it helps them share what they undertake on a day-to-day basis, learning, for instance, how construction equipment or manual overhead crane works within specific industries. Such information may turn out to be very inspiring to interested career aspirants. Data from a survey of teenagers aged between 13-17 conducted in 2022 illuminate this. Out of approximately 1,300 respondents, 35% of teens reported using one of the following five social media platforms multiple times a day: YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat.
The influence of social media on adolescents varies individually. The utilization of social networks may lead to both positive and negative consequences for mental health. These outcomes vary from person to another. The outcomes of social media on mental health are contingent upon the following factors:
- What adolescents see and do online, the time spent online, and psychological elements such as maturity level, along with any pre-existing mental conditions.
- Personal life situations, comprising cultural, social, and economic aspects.
This write-up mentions the typical advantages and disadvantages of using social media by youngsters and suggestions for parents.
Healthy Social Media
Teens may make online identities on social networks to link to others and make their social circle. Through this, others with similar interests or experiences will give them support. This sort of help may be very good for teens who have these conditions:
- Online and offline lack of social support or isolation.
- They are under a great deal of stress.
- Be part of intersectional groups - ethnic minority, LGBTQ, other disability, etc.
- Suffer from a chronic disease.
Social media could, at times, be beneficial for young people in the following ways:
- Express yourself.
- Meet other local or out-of-town teens.
- Learn what other teens do to manage difficult life situations and mental health problems.
- Join or read relevant chat rooms that have atmospheres that promote discussing freely about mental health issues, for example.
- Call for assistance or health care for issues involving mental ailments.
These health-related effects of social media are generally positive for teens. And it may also enable depressed-prone teens to maintain a connection to others. And there’s humorous or otherwise distracting social media that can help struggling teenagers get through a tough day.
Unhealthy social media
Using social media may harm some teenagers. Possible:
- Distracting during homework, exercise, and family activities.
- Disrupts sleep.
- Exposes teens to biased or false information.
- Acts as a way to gossip or overshare.
- Leads some teenagers to have false opinions about other people’s lives or bodies.
- Exposing certain teens to online predators, who could attempt to use or blackmail teens.
- Allowing teens to be exposed to cyberbullying can increase the likelihood that they will have mental health problems like anxiety and depression.
Further, some kerb crawling content/risky behaviour and negative online posts and responses via social media can cause young people to self-harm, and in some extreme cases, die. The dangers of using social media are varied. The first deals with the time adolescents spend on them.
Those using social media for at least three hours a day would have an increased risk of mental health problems, according to one study of U.S. teens aged 12 to 15. The research was based on responses from more than 6,500 people in 2013 and 2014.
Another study looked at more than 12,000 13- to 16-year-olds in the United Kingdom. Adolescents who spent more than three hours per day using social media reported poor mental health and low well-being.
But not all research has found a link between time on social media and mental health risks for teens. How teenagers use social media may influence its impact. For instance, for some teenagers, exposure to specific types of content may heighten mental health risks. On the flip side, social media can also spark positive learning when teens choose to follow channels that explain cool tech ideas or share smart safety tips about 1 ton gantry crane. When teens scroll through those feeds, they pick up useful knowledge rather than drifting into risky material. In contrast, some trending posts still raise mental health alarms. These troubling themes may cover:
- Illegal acts.
- Self-injury or violence toward others.
- Behaviors linked to eating disorders, like purging or extreme restriction.
Protect your child.
You can guide teenagers toward safer, kinder use and cut down on possible harm.
Make rules and limits as needed. Doing so keeps the apps from stealing time meant for sleep, meals, or schoolwork.
Manage any challenging behavior. When your child’s habits cross the lines you’ve drawn or just don’t feel right, talk honestly with her. You might also check in with other parents or peek at browsers and apps.
Open the privacy settings. Tight controls keep strangers from seeing bits of your child’s life she never meant to share. Remember, every account has its switches to flip.
Keep an eye on your child’s social media accounts. Talk with them often about what they’re posting and who they’re chatting with. During those talks, simply ask, How does this app make you feel?
Let your kid know they can always turn to you if something online bothers them. Show your child the habits you want them to copy.
Feel free to share how much time you spend scrolling or what rules you follow. Doing so turns that lesson into a two-way chat rather than a lecture. Be clear about what online behavior you won’t accept.
Remind them that gossip, rumors, bullying, or trying to trash someone’s name hurts everyone. At the same time, stress that personal details must stay private. Their house address, phone number, passwords, or card info should never land in a stranger’s hands.
Encourage face-to-face hangouts, too. Meeting friends in person can soothe the social anxiety that often hits teens.