The negative implications of social media to today’s youth

Since its creation in the early 2000s, social media has indeed become one of the most
popular way of interacting with different people. With just a click away, it has definitely made
our lives easier. However, as social media has grown in popularity, so too have its negative
impacts, particularly on young and uneducated minds. It has the ability to be addictive, which
may be detrimental to the mental health of a developing mind. Additionally, because of its
unmonitored nature, it serves as a breeding-ground for cybercrime to flourish. These are the
reasons why social media is a toxic environment for our youth.
Social media is accessible to everyone, and most of the time they are unmonitored and
uncensored environments. Because of this, social media is an easy means for cyber crime, this
includes cyber bullying, and cyber grooming (child predators). In an Internet Crime Report by
the FBI Internet Crime Center Report (2015-2020), their data shows that “In 2020 the crimes
against children increased by 144% compared to 2019”, which equates to eight children per day
experiencing online exploitation. In comparison to their crime report in 2014-2019, online crime
rate was pretty steady, varying only by 5-9%. Overall, the FBI Internet Crime Center Report has
received over ten thousand online crimes against children complaints. A survey performed by the
DQ Institute that covers 63% of the global population showed that 6 out of 10 children ages 8-12,
are exposed online to various cyber risks. In addition, 1 in 2 children encounter cyberbullying and
close to one third experienced other cyber threats such as phishing or hacking.

Social media addiction and mental health problems essentially go hand in hand, as a
result of youth’s excessive use of social media, they are exposed to bullying, rumor spreading,
unrealistic views of life, and peer pressure. Unchecked social media use can also severely
disrupt sleep patterns and have an impact on daily activities. A Canadian research revealed that
youths who frequent social networking sites like Snapchat, Instagram, and Facebook may suffer
anxiety and depression, because of the influence of peer groups who socially compel addictive
behaviors (Adorjan and Ricciardelli, 2021). Another study on middle school students who
reported having an active Instagram account suggests that as adolescents become more
popular on Instagram (i.e., as their followers count increases), the risk also increases that they
might develop an addiction to Instagram use and experience cyber aggressions. This, in turn,
may harm their psychological well-being (Longobardi et al., 2020). Research suggests that
harmful social media posts can be linked to feelings of envy, inadequacy, and less satisfaction
with life. In addition, teenagers’ addictive use of social media can lead to ADHD symptoms,
depression, anxiety, eating disorders, and sleep deprivation (Columbia University, 2021).
Others have claimed that “social media provides a platform to help them figure out who
they are, by means of relating to other people on the various platrforms.”. But I heavily
disagree with that claim. Social media is brimming with falsities, an example of this is using
filters to alter one’s self image to appear more desirable. Because social media is full of these
unrealistic expectations in life, it can have a heavy impact to young and developing minds that
are consuming those kinds of content. An interview of a professor from Columbia University,
Deborah Glasofer(2021), has stated that “The more time they(youth) spend on social media
directly relates to how much they absorb the idea that being thin is ideal, are driven to try to
become thin, and/or overly scrutinize their own bodies.”. In addition, those who are vulnerable
to eating disorders may be especially attracted to seeking out unhelpful information—which is
all too easy to find on social media.
Some also say that social media can be used to compensate diminishing face to face
social interactions. Though I agree to this statement, only to some extent. Social media is a
great tool for interaction, but it shall never replace physical interactions. Because social media
can cause if not worsen Social Anxiety Disorder. Research indicates that socially anxious
individuals may perceive the Internet broadly as a more comfortable platform for socializing,
which affects their preference and choice to engage online rather than face-to-face (Erwin et
al., 2004). Further, socially anxious individuals may seek out online interaction to compensate
for their lack of social support experienced in the real world (Weidman et al., 2012). And in my
experience, because of the pandemic I have resorted to social media as a means of social
interaction, which has negatively impacted my social skills, because I am no longer used to
being outside and constantly socializing with the people around me.
In conclusion youth should not be allowed to use social media. As it is a medium for
cybercrime, and a cause of addiction and mental health problems. When left unmonitored, they
are a subject to wandering and getting caught in those parts of social media. So, it is best for
them to not be exposed to it till they are much older and wiser. Furthermore, the people must
become much more aware of the problems that are present in the social media to help protect
our youth from it.