There has been an intense discussion on whether the consistent usage of social media directly influences the well-being of adolescents. In contemporary society, social media is frequently stereotyped and believed to cause anxiety, depression, and academic underachievement in teenagers. Nevertheless, this form of social interaction might also be beneficial and motivate young people. The current paper attempts to provide insights into the subject and review three articles concerning social media and its effects on adolescents.
Despite the stigmatization of social media’s impact on the psychological well-being of young people, several experts have found that this theory is frequently misleading and there is no direct dependency. Coyne et al. (2019) have conducted an eight-year study of how social networking sites (SNSs) influence the mental health of adolescents. More than 500 individuals participated in the research and completed annual surveys from the age of 13 to 20 (Coyne et al. 2019). Ultimately, the authors have found that the time on social media does not directly influence the well-being of adolescents. Furthermore, some experts report that social media might also be beneficial for young people and allows for consistent interaction with peers, identity exploration, and expands awareness concerning global trends (Uhls, Ellison & Subrahmanyam, 2017). The authors also include the negative associations of social media, such as cyberbullying and exposure to inappropriate content; nevertheless, the positive effects generally overweigh the negative ones.
Furthermore, the absence of social interaction might be harmful to the well-being of young individuals since adolescence is the period of rapid development. Orben, Tomova, and Blakemore (2020) have found that social deprivation might cause severe psychological complications to adolescents, particularly in the period of the pandemic. Summing up, cutting off access to social media will not help young people and might also have a detrimental effect.
References
Coyne, S. M., Rogers, A. A., Zurcher, J. D., Stockdale, L., & Booth, M. (2019). Does time spent using social media impact mental health?: An eight year longitudinal study. Computers in Human Behavior, 106160. Web.
Orben, A., Tomova, L., & Blakemore, S.-J. (2020). The effects of social deprivation on adolescent development and mental health.The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health. Web.
Uhls, Y. T., Ellison, N. B. & Subrahmanyam, K. (2017). Benefits and costs of social media in adolescence.Official Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics. 140(2), 67-70. Web.