Written by: Reah R. Hagues, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Have you ever suffered from sleep deprivation, depression, or anxiety? You may not know this, but if you have a big reason for this could be social media. This article discusses the ways social media negatively affects teens.
According to a research study of American teens ages 12-15, those who used social media over three hours each day faced twice the risk of having negative mental health outcomes like depression, eating disorders, anxiety, isolation, self-absorption, and cyberbullying. Between the ages of 10 and 19, the brain goes through a highly sensitive period when identities of self-worth are starting to form. Frequent social media use can be associated with distinct changes in the developing brain at this time, and affect functions like emotional learning and behavior, impulse control, and emotional regulation (McQueen, 2024). Teen brain development has major impacts on how they perceive life, react to situations around them (and in front of them online), and handle struggles. How we view others’ lives on social media and how we perceive ourselves as teenagers through social media influence can be much more difficult for an underdeveloped brain to process.
Social media potential issues
Even though social media has many negatives, there are some positive benefits to social media. These include being able to communicate with friends or even building relationships with new ones. While this can be a good thing, teens' social skills are negatively affected, since they are not used to talking to people in real life. If a teen's social media engagement outweighs their in- person interactions, they may struggle to identify critical social cues such as body language, facial expression, and vocal tone/pitch. It’s very important that teens have good social skills in high school, college, their future careers, and even relationships (McQueen, 2024). Social media management can ensure successful knowledge and recognition of facial cues and body language. Nonverbal communication is a common method of communicating. It lets others know how we feel emotionally, when we are uncomfortable, when we are excited, when we are sad/unhappy, etc. Learning these cues in person is important to navigating written communication which is a common form of communication online. Learning healthy navigation of these cues such as wording and context makes it easier for teens to understand the difference between intended and perceived online communication versus face-to-face verbal communication.
Potential fixes
Some ways we can solve these issues include limiting screen time, educating ourselves on these issues, and finding ways to replace screen time. Limiting screen time can be done by setting app limits under the screen time setting on your phone. If you struggle with limiting screen time, you should slowly decrease the screen time every week until you get to a healthy amount of time.
You can educate yourself on this by researching the positive and negative effects of social media and this will help you navigate it more healthily. Some other things you can do besides being on social media are going for a walk, picking up a sport, reading, spending time with friends and family, or picking up a new hobby (McQueen, 2024)! Going for a walk is a great way to maintain physical health, de-stress, and potentially have short positive interactions. Picking up a sport is equally beneficial for your physical health, social interaction, and emotional development as you learn empathy and compassion through teamwork. Reading allows you to exercise your mind, escape from reality healthily and safely, and create your storybook endings! It takes the focus off real-life stressors, even for a moment. Spending time with friends/family without social media reminds us of the reality of life and people. It also strengthens relationships and keeps us grounded in reality. Learning a new hobby is a great way to stay in good physical health, and provide emotional strength and regulation, focus and creativity! It gives us an outlet to do something we both enjoy and can continuously advance, benefit, and learn from.
Summary
Social media can affect teens in both negative and positive ways. This article discussed ways to navigate social media to avoid unhealthy behaviors and effects. Five ways to avoid this are going on walks, starting a new sport, reading, more family/friend social time, and starting a new healthy hobby. Social media is here to stay, and understanding its effects on our teens can prevent them from forming or maintaining unhealthy habits with its use.
McQueen, C. (2024). The impact of social media on teens.
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Reah R. Hagues, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Reah is a wife to Quintin and a mother to 5 humans and 3 pets. She is the daughter of Kim (or Ma to her), and big sister to Raven. Reah has earned multiple degrees including a Bachelor's degree in Christian studies, Master's degree in Psychology, Master's degree in Holistic Mental Health and Wellness (with emphasis on family dynamics), and a Master's level certification in Life Coaching.
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