Social Media is harmful and leaves a bad impact on society. It is a toxic way of communication for people of all ages, and humankind would be better without it. 

Social media often leaves people with unrealistic expectations of what life should be like, what they should look like and what they should be doing. Many things on social apps are often masked with filters and faked setups. Young, impressionable people see these unfeasible ideals and feel as if they need to mimic these impossible standards. Social media portrays unattainable lifestyles that make others feel less than when their lives are not exactly that. 

Social media is also a huge contributor to kids growing up too early. Children now have access to the internet and media earlier than any other generation. Therefore, young individuals mimic the people they see on the internet, causing them to grow up too early. According to CSO, most kids have access to the internet at 8-years-old. Allowing kids access to digital media that early can result in them losing parts of their childhood. 

Many teenagers and young adults experience cyber bullying. Cyber-bullying is the use of electronic communication to bully a person. This can cause permanent damage to a young, developing individual. According to the National Center for Educational Statistics, about 16% of students in grades nine-12 experience cyber-bullying. According to US Represented, cyber-bullying can cause long-lasting effects of depression, anxiety and suicidal tendencies. Social media is a huge part of cyber-bullying, and its impact leaves many young students with long-term negative effects. 

Access to social media can cause body image issues for some individuals. Seeing pictures that have been fine tuned and edited with filters is extremely damaging to some. In many digital media apps, like Instagram, pictures of ridiculously high standards can be posted, which leaves young adults and teenagers contemplating their own bodies. This tremendously affects their self-esteem and can lead to much bigger problems in the future. The social comparison of influencers and even peers is something that people active on social media face all the time. 

Social media can cause unhealthy and abnormal sleeping patterns. Phone addiction can alter sleeping habits and create unbalanced sleeping schedules, which affect the whole day. Social media can also alter the quality of sleep. According to Sleep Foundation, excessive use of social media close to bedtime can reduce sleep quality and increase the risk of a multitude of sleep issues. 

Phone addiction is a major problem in this generation, and social media only worsens this problem. According to Lee Health, dopamine is a chemical that is released in the brain that is considered the “feel-good” chemical. When people are on social media, the brain’s reward system starts and dopamine is released on a cycle. This can cause addiction like actions toward one’s phone. Technology is involved enough in daily lives without an addiction to social media. 

Many people argue that social media is good because it brings people together over large distances; however, connecting with peers online is less fulfilling than connecting with peers in person. There are numerous forms of digital media that can allow peers to connect through online contact, but none truly meet the standards of a true face-to-face conversation. Also cat-fishing can cause individuals to talk to someone online from far distances, but the person may not be who they say they are. Cat-fishers can be very dangerous. 

Social media can often reduce creativity. It is easy for one to quickly look at what someone else did through digital media compared to doing it themselves, while not being independent severely reduces creativity. Creativity is very important to individuals of all ages, so creativity is greatly reduced by digital media when it should be fostered. 

Social media is not always safe. Privacy issues are becoming more apparent the more advanced civilization gets; social media does not help privacy issues. Fake profiles and impersonations are very dangerous, and often spread through digital media. Spam and viruses can turn into serious problems very quickly. Lots of social media apps have access to user’s locations, which can  turn into a dangerous situation. Digital media is not always a safe place.