The use of social media has proven to have a negative impact on the mental health of teenagers. Each day, many teens spend hours scrolling through social media. Sometimes it is the first thing they do when they wake up and the last thing they do before going to bed. It consumes the lives of many. Social media’s influence on young lives can cause an increase in mental health issues, low self-esteem, increased social comparison and shortened attention spans.
Mental health issues are one of the more significant effects of social media on teens. Social media creates an image that many people live a “perfect life” but in reality, those people just choose what they want to show others. Constant exposure to carefully curated images of others that seem more successful or happier can cause teens to think negative thoughts about themselves. Those thoughts can potentially lead to anxiety and depression over time. Also teens who already struggle with mental health issues may become more vulnerable to negative content or validation-seeking, which can worsen symptoms later on. Around half of teens say that it has negative impacts on the mental health of people their age.
Teens’ self-esteem is majorly impacted by using social media too much. It encourages constant comparison to unrealistic lifestyles and images. Many teens subconsciously measure their worth through likes, comments or followers. This can lead them to feeling rejected if they don’t receive the desired amount of attention from others. The edited photos and filters create unattainable beauty standards, which causes them to feel insecure about themselves or cause body dysmorphia. Over time the pressure of trying to look “perfect” or have a “perfect body” can lower confidence and make teens feel they are not good enough. Even though the expectations on social media are not realistic.
Another issue that has been associated with the use of social media is shorter attention spans. Social media is constantly exposing teens to fast paced content that is meant to grab attention quickly. The endless scrolling through short videos and not fully watching each one trains the brain to expect instant stimulation. Eventually making it harder to focus on tasks that require more focus or effort. This leads to becoming more impatient, easily distracted and creates more of a struggle to concentrate without checking their phones. Due to a shorter attention span it affects learning, memory and academic performance.
