Nowadays technology is the presence of the world. Over 40 percent of Americans check their phones within five minutes of waking up every morning and look at it for another 50 times during the day. Back in the day, newspapers were the most common of media, but now electronic devices have taken over all forms of communication, all adolescents communicate and find out the latest gossip that is trending through social media. They depend on the media for information like fashion trends, the top place to eat out near them or to find out what their favorite celebrity is up to. Social media are websites or applications that allow people to share their ideas, thoughts and feelings through mediums like photos, music and videos. Social media is used on a daily basis for teenagers, for example, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat are the most commonly used for teenagers. Social media can have a negative and positive effect. There is an overabundance of negative causes of social media on the lives of the youth being cyberbullying, addiction, and not being aware of the privacy terms.
Adolescence is defined as a provisional period of preparation during which a teenager becomes an adult. Most youngsters have been bullied or are being bullied by others individuals. Bullying is defined as an aggressive behavior that is deliberate by a group or an individual frequently. Adolescents can get bullied at school where at the end of school the victim gets to go home they are away from the bully until the next day. Since technology has taken place there is a new form of aggression called cyberbullying. Cyberbullying occurs through social media communicate can be lies and false accusations, nude photo sharing, untrue, embarrassing, or unfriendly information about another person. As mentioned earlier unlike school bullying, with cyberbullying the victim can receive messages wherever they go.
According to Enough is Enough, states, “More youths experienced cyberbullying on Instagram than any other platform at 42 percent, with Facebook following close behind at 37 percent. Snapchat ranked third at 31 percent.” It’s a common thing that can happen to any teenager using the internet which is why we need to look after them when using social media, because there has been cases where adolescents go through depression, anxiety, severe isolation, and, tragically, suicide. They are so many cases of kids suicide because their being bullied online. Social media should be for teens which is why Facebook later changed their age terms to being 18 but teenagers still fake their age and make an account. Parents should look out for their children more often.
Social media has become so much part of our life’s that some of us can hardly imagine life without it. Teenagers are being addicted to the internet. When in a family get together teens spend most of their time on their phones instead of interacting with family, they think it’s easier being behind the screen is better than connecting with one another. They are much more interested in the online world than they are in the real world, many teens find it easier to communicate online than face to face. Their can be a positive effect with when using the internet which can help people for personal growth and can stay connected to the news and entertainment, but teenagers are interested in staying connected to their favorite celebrity or gaming.
According to Paradigm Malibu Adolescent Treatment Center, states “Teens with Social Media Addiction have an almost constant nagging desire to check updates, write statuses, share a picture, play a game, or engage in their social media world in some way.” Which is true teens have the desire to check social media when they wake up or every minute that passes to see who posted or what to post. “…instead of connecting us to others, the Internet isolates us in the bubble of our own making by directing us to ideas that reinforces our beliefs and people who reflect our own values and biases.”(Seife 289) Teenagers are in their own bubble with social media they don’t want to socialize with anyone they just want to be stuck seeking through Instagram or Facebook looking who is posting or online. When teenagers come in to class they don’t pay attention to what the professor is teaching they are to busy on their cellphones, and are failing class. And latter on ask why they’re falling. For example this happens to me when I have homework to do I can’t have my phone around me because then I will us it and then i don’t finish my work. I get distracted with social media.
While teenagers are posting their privacy others can see it to which is a huge risk because we don’t know what other people intentions are and by teen not knowing what their posting is not good. Patents need to be on a look out of their children checking to see what they post on social media. They don’t take precaution do the privacy terms and just posted personal information which theri information is left everywhere in the internet. They are giving up their information very easily for people like stalkers or maybe a kidnapper can get their information. According to Pew Research Center, states, “71% post their school name, up from 49%…71% post the city or town where they live, up from 61%.” Some people update their information on Facebook and post their phone numbers where all their so called friends are able to see it.
Some teenagers are adding people they don’t know and sometimes their messaging each other with b out even knowing them. “Instead of exposing us to differences, the Internet actually encourages conformism and intolerance and thus threatens basic principles that sustain a democratic society.”(Seife, 289) When I was young I would post a lot of personal information to because I was young and I didnt know what I was doing. If I would to the park I needed to post if I went to eat I needed to post it also, but now I understand that i did a mistake by doing all that being there has been cases where friends that who have on facebook or any other social media you probably don’t know who they are it can be a fake account with a kidnapper being the screen. It’s easy to be manipulated over the internet as be people can pretend to be someone their not. For example, it’s easy to fake an account and be someone your not, which teens can be very gullible as they think the internet is a safe place because you can pretend to be someone you’re not behind the screen. Most people believe that social messaging is more of a benefit than a consequence, but using social media can actually be harmful.
There’s a lot of impact of the internet and social media on adolescents, overabundance of negative causes of social media on the lives of the youth being cyberbullying, addiction, and not being aware of the privacy terms. We need to keep on the lookout for all the teen using any type of social media, they are taking social media to a whole different level. The new generations is growing up with new and new technology every day that passes, which we need to change something or do something in order for these negative causes not happen anymore. Teenagers are losing their imagination because these technological devices. Addiction to these technologies is common throughout society and causes many different issues to arise. These website should not be how we interact with each other. Social media has its own positive outcomes and has it drawbacks as well. While social media does have its advantages, it can also be held responsible for several negative events in the lives of today’s teenagers.
