This is the age of the Internet, and we, the Netflix And Chill Wielding Millennials, have been the first to really associate and immerse ourselves within social media. It’s been a relatively nice home, with all the content, connections and cat gifs that we’ve been exposed to, but no good thing is devoid of demerits. As the second batch of this wonderful generation gradually leaves their teenage years behind, it’s hard not to notice certain aspects of the internet that are suggestively harrowing, especially when it comes to teenagers and social media problems that come with it.
Here are some of these problems that teenagers face in social media, in no specific order of importance, because we Millennials believe in the importance of all teenagers and all social media problems, even if they’re not tangible.
#1. It’s Addictive.
That’s right, folks. You CAN be too addicted to the internet, be it a gaming website, a literature site, or maybe just your Facebook profile. The rise of social media has made it possible for us to always seems/be/feel active, while sitting on the couch all day. In a study conducted by the Pew Research Centre, ninety-two percent of the teens admitted to going online on social media daily, and twenty-four percent admitted to being online almost constantly. With internet becoming faster and more accessible day by day, this number will only increase, and almost guarantees harm to other areas of growth, if the teen is not careful.
Don’t get me wrong, I love social media, and no, I am not of the opinion that you cannot manage studies and other important areas of your life with social media. If you can do that, then perfect, score some more points for you Galactic Star Football Team, by all means. BUT, if you find yourself ditching your friends, flunking your subjects, because you’re too invested in Farmville, well then, there’s a problem, Social Media. ( I sometimes try too hard and blame social media for it.)
# 2. Can Lead To Health Issues
Well, yeah, It’s pretty simple, you stare at a screen for too long, it hurts your eye. You might be wondering what this has got to do with teenagers and social media, and hey, I agree, this does sound like the most useless and irrelevant chapter in this rant. But trust me, you’ll be surprised at how often this happens.
#3. Unhealthy Ideas And Need To Pretend
#4. Some Teenagers Start Believing That Social Interaction Is Enough
Teenagers have it tough. They always have, and always will. It’s tough growing up, with no idea about yourself and what you want to be. And if you add being awkward and socially stunted as a trait to some of these teens, well, it’s pretty tough. Teens, the ones who’ve been disappointed by friends or by their own inability to connect, will find a whole new world in social media. Dazzled by the enormity and treasure chest of possibilities, they thrust themselves into it, vowing never to come back. They replace all the possible interactions they could’ve/would’ve had, with social media, thinking it’s enough. And for a while, it is, and life is perfect. But like I said before, and again, I honestly really hate to break it to you, but your real life will catch up to you.
Three years down the line, when they’re forced to go out and communicate with people for work, they’ll realize they have no practice or idea on how to go about it, and, oh boy.
It’s happened to many people before, and it’s very sad when it does, because honestly, who doesn’t want to escape from everything? I totally do.
#5. Cyberbullying And Toxic Interactions
Bullying is a horrible thing, and is not only limited to school and college corridors. In fact, it’s just as dangerous(maybe even more in some cases) as normal bullying.
Let’s face it, we’re all have a little bit of the mob mentality in us. And imagine taking this mob mentality to the internet. Scary right? On social media, for every two to three trustable and well meaning people you find, there are ten more toxic and vitriolic jerks, all in groups, waiting to pounce. And when they pounce, they pounce, this time under the anonymous banner of the internet. The advent of social media, has made acts like body-shaming, moral policing, racism, sexism ( I could go on), much more pronounced than it used to before. And all this on young, already insecure and confused teenagers, is terrifying. Just look up the number of suicides that cyberbullying has caused.
It’s a very serious issue, that both teenagers and their guardians are still not aware of, making this one of the most important problems with teenagers and social media.
#6. It’s Also Scarily Risky
Now, this is one of the most chilling aspects of teenagers and social media problems. Anybody can access social media, create profiles and reach out. I repeat, anybody. It’s very important to remember this.
Creeps and perverts, have, and will continue to pretend to be other people and lure teenagers into their web. You’ll be surprised at the number of trusting teenagers that have been kidnapped by people they met on social media and met up with, by themselves. It’s very important to make sure you know who you’re interacting with and are absolutely sure that none of them are people you can’t trust.
