I wake up in the morning, check my phone, see the weather as usual, and then I head out the door for school. As I walk through the doors, 10 of my friends are running towards me pummeling me with drama from last night. “Did you hear about this?…Oh my God, and then she snapped…” Of course I don’t know what happened. I don’t have social media. I hear about the drama and then go along with my day, just like any other.
Today the only thing that seems to matter is social media. The likes, comments, and followers you have seem to be the only first world problems in our generation.
I do not have social media, and I’ve learned the preventative reasons why that is. My parents are police officers, so I get first-hand knowledge of how many problems occur with these apps. I also think that teenage girls get affected more negatively on social media by things like body image, drama, and even jealousy about not being included in activities with friends.
Columbia.edu says that a previous study, done by the Wall Street Journal, found that Facebook knew of the mental health problems that were linked to Instagram but kept those a secret. According to the Columbia site, “Facebook was aware of mental health risks linked to the use of its Instagram app but kept those findings secret. Internal research by the social media giant found that Instagram worsened body image issues for one in three teenage girls, and all teenage users of the app linked it to experiences of anxiety and depression.”
Not only is cyberbullying a problem, but teenage girls are getting sexually harassed through the use of social media. Older men prey on teens, and, unfortunately, it’s easy for girls to fall for it. Catfishing and lying can draw the attention of teenagers. Hwb says that “23% of teens have received unwanted sexual messages and images in the past year, with this more likely to happen to girls (31%) than boys (11%).”
Parents have good reason to be concerned. “I feel like I’m lucky that I didn’t have to go through the social media pressures that you all have to go through,” DRHS administrator Michael Dougherty said. “I’m nervous for my own kids because I think you have to live up to these precedents set by celebrities or friends or peer pressure. I think it’s just really scary because social media portrays a false sense of reality.”
(Photo By Karsten Winegeart On Unsplash)
Now, I understand where others might be coming from on how social media is good. It does have fun factors to it that we might not focus on, like talking to friends, using fun filters, and even expressing yourself, which is what’s great about these apps. But past that, there is much more that should be the center of attention.
I also think that it’s important to comprehend that time off of screens is vital to a teenager’s physical growth. When teenagers are on their phones all day, every day, plus the time they spend on their computers at school, that’s a lot of screen time. It’s addictive to scroll for hours on end, which does not help with this problem. Getting outside and being active doesn’t just benefit your physical health, it will also help your mental health. I play basketball, and just being outside or even at practice without phones is so much fun and has helped my mental stability so much.
So, no, I didn’t hear what happened last night — I guess I will never know the “joys” of social media.
