As a teen, I see all the pros and cons to social media and I can confidently say I have a love-hate relationship with it. I’d like to share some interesting facts about the effects of social media on today’s youth from Dr. Jackie Issner.
It may seem like teenagers are the only ones who are affected by social media, but the truth is that kids as young as one-year old are being affected and we don’t even know it. Issner says, “92% of one-year olds have used a mobile device and children ages 3-4 can begin using these devices without the help of a parent or adult.” This is crazy to me! 92% is well over half the amount of one-year olds out there and to think that many of them have used a mobile device is hard wrap my head around. What I found to be even crazier is that a 3 or 4 year old can use a device without an adult. I know I’m young, but I can still remember a time when I didn’t have a mobile device and, honestly, it was a lot easier.
Issner also mentions that social media is a huge factor in the rise of anxiety in teens today. As someone who has anxiety, I 100% agree that social media negatively contributes to anxiety. Social media makes teens more self-conscious and insecure because you are constantly comparing yourself to the other people you see on instagram, and other platforms, even if you don’t think you are. Another point Issner makes is “the power of the like button.” This is where teens worry about if they got enough likes on a post in order to make them feel validated or “good” about what they posted. I have been guilty of this at times. There are instances where I find myself choosing between different pictures to post on instagram and asking other people which they think is better. Without realizing it, I’m asking their opinions so I can make other people happy and post what they want to see instead of the picture I want to post.
According to Issner, the use social media is associated with depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, and poor sleeping habits. She says, “Adolescents who used social media more – both overall and at night – and those who were more emotionally invested in social media experienced poorer sleep quality, lower self-esteem and higher levels of anxiety and depression.” More specifically, nightmares are a significant sign of poor sleep which is a result from social media use. Poor sleep also increases anxiety symptoms, says Issner. Personally, I don’t have many nightmares, but I do find my anxiety getting worse the more I use social media. In regards to self-esteem, I think, girls especially, suffer from low self-esteem because of social media. In my personal experience, girls compare themselves to their friends more than they do to a celebrity. When you are in a picture with your friends you are forced to look at yourself directly next to your friends and then compare yourself to them. I know I have been in situations where I don’t post a picture with one of my friends because I don’t feel “pretty enough” sitting next to them. This definitely lowers my self-esteem. Finally, Issner states that “Research has suggested a U-shaped relationship between internet use and depression, with increased risks of depression at both the high and low ends of internet use.” This means that there is a direct correlation between depression levels and social media use. So, social media can cause depression whether one uses it a lot or just a little.
Social media is also associated with emotion. Issner mentions that “Many also utilize their devices as a means of avoiding uncomfortable feelings or situations.” She uses the example of someone playing on their phone rather than being mindfully present. I can definitely relate to this. There are many times where I find myself in an uncomfortable situation and sometimes, unfortunately, my natural instinct is to reach for my phone for comfort. I never thought I would find comfort in my phone, but sometimes I do, which is not good. According to Issner, “avoidance generally increases the power of feared stimuli.” The more you avoid something, the more you are letting fear drive your decision making and avoidance, eventually, becomes a habit. Trust me, I’ve been there.
Dr. Issner brings up a really interesting study done on older adolescence which reveals that those who use social media to simply scroll through other’s photos, or passively, experience decline in life satisfaction. In contrast, those who interacted with others and actually posted pictures or videos did not have these declines. This shows that it is not only the number of hours spent on social media that can be harmful, but how you spend that time can be as well. In conclusion, the people who go on social media with the goal of posting something do not have a decline in life satisfaction and those who go on social media just to look at what other people are posting do. This information is somewhat scary to me because I have definitely gone on instagram just to scroll through pictures and see what other people are posting, but I never would have thought that meant a decline in life satisfaction! However, I do see how that can be a long-term result.
There are so many more negative effects of social media. For example, cyberbullying and addictiveness. I have never personally experienced cyberbullying, but I do know that it is a lot easier to say hurtful things behind a screen. Becoming addicted to social media and devices is a serious problem and happens more often than one would think. Issner says, “Children who overuse online media are at risk of problematic internet use.” There can be a decrease in interest to do “real life” activities, which is a result of being addicted to social media. However, people, teens especially, acknowledge how much time they spend on social media and take steps to cut back. In fact, about half of those ages 13 – 17 are worried themselves that they spend too much time on their phones, Issner says. I find this ironic because you would think teens in that range would be oblivious to how much time they spend on their phones, but in reality they realize it and want to cut back. I partly think the desire for teens to reduce the amount of time spent on their phones is because they see first hand how it can affect people.
Despite all of the negative effects of social media, there are some benefits. Dr. Issner brings up some points such as: traditional and social media can bring exposure to new ideas and information, provide awareness of current events and issues, students can collaborate in school and can promote community, helps families communicate across long distances, etc. In addition to the benefits of social media, there are ways to manage the negative side of it. For example, for young children, parents can monitor the amount of screen time a child has or not allow any screen time at all. Today this is really easy now that iPhones tell you how long you have spent on your phone. That new update was a wake up call for me! It is also really important to spread awareness about social media and to explain to people that what they see is not reality and that there is life outside of instagram, snapchat, etc.
In writing this I hope to start a conversation about how we can avoid the negative effects of social media and spread more awareness! Thank you again Dr. Issner!
