Harmful Effects of Social Media on Teens’ Mental Health

 

Harmful Effects of Social Media on Teens’ Mental Health

It can be difficult to understand why your teen uses social media so much. It may seem that they are constantly connected to the Internet and are always forgetting about the life ahead. We try to explain to social media and teens why they care, and its risks and benefits.

In recent years, the increase in the use of social networks and its impact on the mental health of young people has become an issue of special relevance and concern. Along these lines, a series of reviews and studies have emerged regarding the role social networks play in the health and physical and mental well-being of children and teenagers.

In this regard, the UK Center for Mental Health - a non-governmental organization dedicated to promoting mental health - has published a report through which it collects the existing evidence on its impact (and it's positive or negative nature) on the well-being of young people, analyzing how the risks posed by social media could be mitigated, and how they can be used positively to improve mental health and well-being.

Harmful Effects of Social Media on Teens’ Mental Health

According to the report, research on the negative impact of social media has identified a number of interrelated potential risks:

1) Immediate Risks Of Social Media 

These are some of the potential dangers that your teenager may face when using various social media channels are exposure to offensive, annoying or adult content. Of course, no one wants their teen to be vulnerable to adult material or pornographic material. The danger of social media is that your child may be sent to this material from foreign sources or other reliable sources. There is a risk even if your child's social media sites are only accessible to friends or when their profiles are private. At least one in four teens receives sexually explicit text messages and emails. 

2) Addiction 

Some studies have found evidence that young people can become addicted to using social media. This addiction is estimated to affect around 5% of adolescents and has been described as potentially more addictive than alcohol and cigarette use. A predominant aspect of network addiction is compulsive checking, defined as the “impulse to verify messages and keep up to date”, and which is related to the phenomenon known as “Fear of Missing Out” or FOMO. 

3) Sleep Deprivation 

Some qualitative studies have revealed that dependence on social networks can have consequences such as problems in the sleeping habits of young people, often to the detriment of their performance in school and during exams. 1 in 10 teens reports that they use social media for one night from midnight to 6 p.m.  Prolonged use of social media can lead to lack of sleep. Sleep deprivation and sleep disorders are directly related to loneliness and depression during adolescence. One study found that lack of sleep can lead to more frequent online activities, such as checking social media. According to a survey carried out in 2016, the Fear of Missing out (FOMO) has serious consequences on sleep habits, loss of hours of sleep due to the use of the networks, difficulty in relaxing at night after using them, etc. 

4) Useless Comparisons 

Constantly comparing yourself to other people's lives can affect your mental health. A wide variety of studies have indicated that social media use is strongly associated with negative self-esteem and self-image. Specifically, it has been shown that the “idealization” of body image has a detrimental impact on self-esteem, mainly among young women; to the extent that 9 out of 10 adolescent girls say they are not satisfied with their bodies. The broadcasting of manipulated images on social media platforms can perpetuate unrealistic expectations, detrimentally impacting self-esteem when these are not met. So-called "extreme communities" run the risk of trivializing and by extension normalizing very real health problems, such as suicide and self-harm. 

5) Cyberbullying 

59% of US teens have been bullied or hacked online. And 1 in 5 young people dropped out of school because they have been bullied in cyberspace. Cyberbullying has been linked to teen depression and can even lead to increased vulnerability and depression in adulthood. It is important to note that your teen can talk to you if he is feeling intimidated. They should also ask, "Could this hurt someone's feelings?" before posting anything. If it's questionable, you shouldn't post it.

6) Strangers 

There are sexual predators, identity thieves, scammers, and hackers who use social media to fool innocent users. Your teenage daughter may be talking to someone who claims to be the same age, but in reality, she may be a grown man. It's easier to lie and lie online than face-to-face, so your daughter can start to trust the person. Teens should not post things on the Internet that allow online predators to detect them. Therefore, the child should not mention things like the name of the city she lives in or the school she attends on social media. 

7) Substitution Of Social Interaction 

Some studies show that young people who show traits of social anxiety use social networks for self-presentation purposes. These networks provide opportunities for people with social anxiety to meet unmet needs, solving an inability - often significant - to socialize outside the network. In turn, this discourages social interactions outside the network, "in the real world", aggravating problems of loneliness and affecting the mental well-being of young people. 

Some Positive Role of Social Media 

While interacting with virtual media doesn't have the same psychological benefits as face-to-face contact, there are many positive ways it can help you stay connected and support your well-being.

Social networks allow you to:

1.     Connect and stay informed with your family and friends around the world.

2.     Find new friends and communities. Networking with others who have similar interests or ambitions.

3.     Join or promote great causes. Raising awareness of important issues.

4.     Seek or offer emotional support in difficult times.

5.     Social networks are a vital source of social connection if the child lives in a remote area, or have limited independence, social anxiety, or are part of a marginalized group.

6.     Social media can be an outlet to express your child’s creativity and self-expression.

7.     Discover (carefully) sources of valuable information and learning.

Take Steps to Improve Well-Being and Reduce Risk

A 2018 study by the University of Pennsylvania study found that reducing social media use to 30 minutes a day led to a significant reduction in levels of anxiety, depression, loneliness, sleep problems, and FOMO. But you do not need your child to drastically reduce the use of social media to improve mental health. The same study concluded that being more careful about using social media can have beneficial effects on your child’s mood and concentration.

While 30 minutes a day may not be a realistic goal for many of us, we can still benefit from reduced time spent on social media. For most of us, this means a reduction in the amount we use our smartphones. The following tips can help:

1.     Use an app to keep track of how much time your child spends on social media each day. Next, set a goal for how much he/she want to reduce it.

2.     Turn off the phone at certain times of the day, such as when in the gym, to dinner, to spend time with friends offline, or to play with friends. Do not allow to take the phone to the bathroom.

3.     Do not let your child bring the phone or tablet on the bed. Turn off the devices and leave them in another room overnight to charge.

4.     Turn off social media notifications. It's hard to resist the constant buzzing, ringing, and ringing of the phone alerting you to new messages. Disabling alerts can help you regain control of your time and focus.

5.     Check the limit. If your child checks the phone every few minutes, ask to stay away by limiting the checks to once every 15 minutes. Then once every 30 minutes, then once every hour. There are applications that can automatically restrict access to your phone.

6.     Try removing social media apps from the phone so that the child can only check them from on the laptop or computer. If this sounds like a drastic step, try uninstalling one social media app at a time to see how much the child really misses it.