Social media is like crack-immediately pleasing and largely addictive ~ Gary Vaynerchuk.
It’s not a surprise that teens feel the need to be available on social media 24/7. And aside from the fact that their grasp of social media exceeds that of adults, they are also dependent and use it a lot more. It starts with connecting with other people but turns into something negative.
The likes and comments do something to them to develop the need to please. And when they cannot, they become distressed or, worse still, depressed. So how does social media addiction affect teenagers, you ask?
How Does It Affect Their Mental Health?
If your teenager cannot enjoy time with family and friends without sharing it on social media, that’s an addiction issue. And when they are this dependent on social media, it tends to affect their mental health negatively. And that could be due to the constant exposure to social isolation, cyberbullying, depression, and anxiety.
A teenager’s brain is developing. They are still vulnerable and can be easily harmed. And since they struggle to limit their screen time, social media becomes a risk. Moreover, they are at a time in their lives when peer pressure is important.
Therefore, they may want to keep up with expectations from their peers. If that means posting photos and being online all the time, that’s what they’ll do. As a result, teenage addiction to social media in New Jersey correlates with:
Depression and Anxiety
Many teens are devoted to their social media accounts. They feel stressed when they cannot respond quickly, post content, and receive likes. And because their peers are doing the same, it becomes a fundamental part of who they are.
They need to post perfect photos and pair them with witty captions to get the most likes. Therefore, they are constantly stressed about keeping their accounts active and interesting. Add cyberbullying and other online behaviors, and you have a recipe for anxiety.
Low Self Esteem
Teenagers are prone to low self-esteem and feeling down about themselves. And social media gives them a picture of perfect lives with happier, better-looking people who are more well-off. Sadly, this leads teenagers to a dangerous game of comparison. They are getting content and pressure online that they would never have in real life.
So the result is sad, socially awkward teens that feel like they are less valuable than other people. That’s why you see them quiet and socially isolated because they don’t feel good enough.
Finally, social media is more of a curse than a blessing for teenagers. Although they get to connect and learn a lot from their peers, most are negative. They become addicted and almost cannot function without social media. What was once a platform for good has become detrimental to mental health. More than sleep deprivation and looking aloof most days, teenagers deal with depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem. And worse still, they don’t know that social media is the problem. They are too dependent on it to see the problem.
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