Abstract
Social media has changed our lives in so many ways; it has made communication easier and fast, Social media has simply made the world look like a global community where one can know what is happening around by just logging in to their social media pages. Although social media has made our lives easy it has also affected our own lives in very many ways, you cannot be surprised to see friends sited in one room all of them grounded on their mobile phones without talking to each other. This essay brings out the effects of social media among teens, young adults and adults. Unrestricted use of social media may result in depression, anxiety and the development of suicidal thoughts among the affected users. According to Matt Haig, anyone who has never experienced such depression will never understand the intensity of its effects. After reading this essay the question of whether or not social media should be limited to children will be clearly addressed.
Keywords: social media, teens, young adults, adults.
Introduction
The fact that the current generation wants to be updated of everything happening makes social media very addictive, children as young as 6 years old have their social media accounts, their parents find pleasure in updating their latest pictures every other time. Tik Tok for example has developed a trend of showing relationship goals which makes it look like a competition as everyone wants to show off their latest pair of shoes or cars. The sad thing about social media competitions is that they put those who cannot afford a certain type of lifestyle into so much pressure that they might either develop low self-esteem or find themselves withdrawing from the society as it makes them feel as if they are not enough (Claire, 2018). People often show only their good side of life which puts others into the wrong impression that the struggles they pass through are part of life; Instagram, for example, is visual media, those who have beautiful pictures or portray a luxurious life get more likes and following, Instagram users who cannot afford the same might develop low self-esteem or self-hate as a result of thinking that they are not worth it. According to Andrey Johns, a psychologist, most people who have self-esteem issues have developed it as a result of comparing their lives with that of their social media friends who they have never met in person. Social media, therefore, has the effect of giving people the wrong impression of life by taking them in a false world where the reality of life does not exist (Johns, 2019).
Social media affect teenagers in many ways. Teenagers nowadays spend a lot of time on social media (Facebook, Twitter, Snap Chat and Instagram). There is more influence to have low self-esteem, depression, loss of appetite and mental health issues. Some studies have been proven that more spend time on social media can lead to having sleeping problems, anxiety and suicide media at times may cause negative impacts on teenagers. “It is very hard to explain to people who have never known serious depression or anxiety the sheer continuous intensity of it. There is no off switch.”- Matt, Haig.
According to a study by Newport Academy, the continuous use of social media among teens has been found to activate the fight-flight mode, this makes teenagers moody, rebellious and disrespectful among other vices. Social media is a cause of anxiety among many kids and it has resulted in drug abuse among many teenagers, this could be as a result of peer pressure as many of these teenagers perceive these vices as being “cool” (Martin, 2019). Being on social media has many effects on teenagers especially if their parents cannot limit what the teenagers can access. Once teenagers start comparing themselves with others they might develop some behaviours like stealing, withdrawal from others, constantly being on their phones and not listening to instructions given to them. According to a report by world health organization (WHO), cases of depression among teenagers are rising and at least 3 out of five are related to self-esteem issues which could develop as a result of Instagram pressure among teenagers (Johns, 2019)
During young adulthood, people have more freedom than during their teenage life, if they started using social media during their teenage stage; they are more likely to be addicted to social media at this age. Young adults will, therefore, find themselves having less sleep as they spend most of their time on social media pages looking at the latest developments or updating their daily events. Most social media users seek acknowledgement from their online peers and they look forward to reading the compliments or seeing likes rise; if this fails to happen they may feel bad and they may develop bad moods with either their family members or their peers. One negative comment may be taken personally and may result in low self-esteem or even worse lead to suicidal thoughts (Claire, 2018). Social media affects performance in that individuals who are addicted keep checking their social media pages for updates even when they are supposed to be working. Amongst students, it has been noted that social media has a hand in poor performance as students fail to pay attention to their instructors because they are constantly on their phones (Alfred, et al)
Social media as a cause of family disputes; social media has caused poor communication between family members as family members are constantly on their social media pages updating about their daily activities. Children can no longer seek guidance from their parents due to poor communication as they are also lost into the addiction of social media (Martin, 2015). Family disputes arise due to poor communication caused by social media and it may result in violence or depression of the children or parents. Unrestricted Social Media may result in negligence and accidents that would otherwise be avoidable. According to Citizen TV news, a family house burned down as a result of leaking gas, this was because the house assistant was active on Facebook constantly chatting with her friends; such accidents would be avoided if the house help was not constantly chatting on her social media. Social media can also be blamed for some fatal accidents, it has been noted that using your mobile phone while driving can easily interrupt the driver’s mind and make them lose control.
Social media pages are entertaining, but, if one is not careful they might end up spending the whole day or night using social media, this may result to lack of sleep to social media users if the next day the user will attend lessons they might not concentrate as they would if they had enough sleep, lack of enough sleep would also result to poor health because human beings need at least 6 hours of sleep, that is according to a report by world health organization (WHO). “5 out of 7 teenagers have an appetite problem because they spend most of the time on their mobile phones probably accessing their social media pages” James Washington, writer.
On the contrary, social media has helped many; while seeking extrinsic motivation; social media can be the right place to be, especially if you follow your mentors. Social media can, therefore, be a place to lift your spirit and keep you moving in terms of life and business motivation. Social media has also enabled people to earn a living by promoting and growing their business brands. If social media is therefore used well it can benefit the user
Conclusion
The discussion above is enough proof that although social media connects and informs us, it has many demerits that should not be taken for granted or else they will take the society in a no return zone of evil, depression and worst of all death. It is therefore important for social media users to set daily limits to avoid spending the bigger part of their day on social media. Social media users should also note that seeking validation from keyboard warriors is always more likely to result in negativity rather than positive vibes. Social media managers should also put measures to protect teenagers and innocent individuals from evil people who hide their faces behind social media. Teenagers need counselling and guidance on how to benefit from social media instead of using it in a negative way which is mostly caused by peer pressure from their peers. Families should also work towards reducing their usage of social media and start having meaningful conversations.
References
Alfred, M. Grace, M. (2015). The effects of Social Media on Mental Health// https://spunout.ie/news/article/the-effects-of-social-media-on-mental-health// Accessed on 7th June 2020
Citizen TV House on fire//. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96nn0c7f-FI// Accessed on 7th June 2020
Claire, M. (2018) Effects of Social Media on Teenagers//
https://www.newportacademy.com/resources/well-being/effect-of-social-media-on-teenagers// Accessed on 7th June 2020.
James, B. (2016) the effects of Social Media//
https://www.ukessays.com/essays/young-people/effects-social-media-people-6680.php// Accessed on 7th 2020
Martin, T. (2015) Impact of Social Media on our lives//https://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/impact-of-social-media// Accessed on 7th 2020
Haig, M. (2013) The Humans// https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Humans/Matt-Haig/9781476730592// Accessed on 7th June 2020.
Peterson, L. (2017) Negative Effects of Social Media on our Lives/ /https://smallbusiness.chron.com/negative-effect-social-media-society-individuals-27617.html// Accessed on 7th June 2020.