Reflection assignment

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Maryah Reed

English Composition 1

Research Paper Assignment

May 15,2022

Positive and Negative Effects of Teens' Social Media Usage

Social media has become a fact of life for nearly every citizen. Social media positively

affects teens by teaching them social skills, behavioural skills, and personality management and

implies an adverse impact on individuals. Like other technologies, social media also have a

wrong side that affects the perception of parents and teachers. Along with bringing positivity to

individuals, social media also spreads negativity and distracts their attention. The impact of

social media can be determined by how teens use social media. 97% of teens across the United

States own their mobile phones, and 47% remain online for 24-hours (Mayo). Parents should

track their performance to understand the effects of social media on teens. Some are using social

media for entertainment, while others are misusing the opportunity to watch underage content.

Social media exposes teens to various ranges and allows them to choose what they want to see.

Thus, it is not about social media that affects teens' behaviour but their content choices. Social

media implies both negative and positive effects on teens that lead to changes in mental,

emotional and psychological changes in personality.

Social media has become an essential part of everyone's life. A balance must be

maintained to ensure that social media doesn't take over one's life; even though social media's

importance in life and its dependence on it, balance in use brings positive effects. Parents should

track their kids' performance and guide them regarding their use of social media and its possible

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impact on their lives. Parents should teach their kids about the interference of social media in

their lives and tell them how much time they should spend on social media to avoid a negative

impact on their health and personality. Research says that teens use social media platforms for

seven hours a day, which affects their performance in other areas of life (Academy). Seven hours

spent on social media leaves the least time for other activities such as studies, social engagement

and family times. Social media takes over individuals' lives and brings a lot of unexpected

outcomes.

The use of social media negatively impacts the mental health of teens. Research (Wiley)

says that 20% of teens having at least one social media account say they have to check their

activity once in three hours to avoid the feeling of anxiety and anxiousness. This feeling is

known as social media anxiety disorder stated to the Anxiety and Depression Association of

America (ADAA) (Wiley). Symptoms of social media anxiety disorders include repetitive

checking of phone, spending six or more hours on social media accounts, withdrawing from

social and family relations, losing interest in academic activities, poor academic performance,

severe nervousness etc. apart from this excessive use of social media among teens leads to severe

depression.

Staying online and dependent on social media makes teens emotionally and

psychologically sensitive. They begin to feel things deeply and fall into misunderstanding about

themselves and others. Teens invest their emotions in online relations, and when they get no

response, their real life becomes a mess. They become sensitive towards their bonds, and trust

issues develop. Instead of understanding the fakeness of social media relations, adolescents

perceive their real-life relations as fake, which leads to ignorance and relationship negligence.

Adolescents' online peer affiliations affect their performance and behaviours in real life. A study

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reveals that students who use social media accounts are less likely to have friends in real life. In

the absence of social media accounts, the feeling of loneliness increases, leaving individuals

mentally disturbed and anxious.

Social media use also challenges the psychological health of adolescents. Research

indicates that teens using social media accounts are less satisfied with their lives. Girls and boys

during 11-16 years of age are open to trust and develop temporary relations. When they find

someone nice to them on social media, they start depending on them mentally, emotionally and

psychologically. Damage to such concerns because for any reason brings severe trauma for

individuals. Researchers are focusing on the age of individuals and their use of social media. Age

implies a more significant influence on the use of social media and its effects on mental and

emotional health. According to an experimental psychologist Amy Orben, “We actually

considered that the links between social media and well-being might be different across different

ages — and found that is indeed the case” (Hughes). In the United States, 9 out of 10 teens spend

most of their day on screens, and there is no one to track their activities. According to the

statement by Amy Orben, the effects of social media use vary from age to age. For example,

suicide is higher among teens who spend 10 hours on screen a day. Adolescents aged 14-19 are

more likely to connect with their smartphones, and minor disturbance forces them to make

significant decisions (Hughes).

Furthermore, research indicates that teens using social media cut their interest in real-life events

that shorten their discussions. Lack of a companion with whom they can share their tensions and

happiness affects their mental peace. And in the end, when they find no cure for their anxieties,

the last option they choose to get rid is suicide.

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Social media use and dependence on social accounts affect the level of happiness. Online

conversations create misunderstanding in individuals that leads to relationship complications.

According to professor Wirtz, most adolescents develop a strict attitude toward everyone. People

who use social media for more than six hours a day are less likely to be happy and satisfied with

their lives. Social media presents fake influencers and perfect/ideal life. And when individuals

fail to get some things in their life, they become reluctant and less happy in their current

situations. The following image illustrates the impact of social media use on happiness;

(Postles)

He further explains that viewing influences posts and updates upsets teens about their

standard of life and forces them to copy them by any means. Some individuals take these

individuals positively by adapting those behaviours, while some go against their norms to follow

those influencers. Three top-most social media websites imply more significant influence on

users includes; Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. According to a statement, “The three social

network sites examined – Facebook, Twitter and Instagram – yielded remarkably convergent

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findings. The more respondents had recently used these sites, either in aggregate or individually,

the more negative effect they reported when they responded to our randomly-timed surveys over

a 10-day period” (Sexton). These three social media accounts are in most use by all ages. Teens

and mature adults rely on these social media accounts to get regular updates and get engaged in

different types of content because these three accounts provide a more significant amount of

information and exposure across the world (Sexton).

Along with numerous adverse effects of social media use on teens, there are multiple

positive aspects of social media use. Such as;

i. Confidence building

ii. Identity formation

iii. Competitive personality

iv. Awareness of social trends

While exploring social media accounts, teens interact with several people from different origins.

They learn other things that enhance their personalities and interaction in real life. Social media

interactions improve an individual's mental and emotional health if it is being used appropriately

and for good. There is a need to understand that social media could bring a lot for an individual if

they try to explore its positive side (Patil).

Interaction with culturally different people improves individuals' confidence and enables

them to face different situations in their lives. Confidence building is crucial in achieving success

out of the box in the modern world. Social media would allow individuals to stay up-to-date and

active in their fields to participate and learn new things. Having information about things builds

confidence, which is what social media is doing for teens. It is opening gates for flawless

learning from their comfort zone, which would be a plus point for growing and developing.

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Social media makes it easier to access every type of knowledge and information to improve

learning and understanding of the world around.

The second positive effect of social media use on teens is identity formation. The use of

social media has become an essential source for teens' development and growth. However, it is

the responsibility of parents to teach their children and help them learn about the world around

them. But in the modern world, this task is done by social media. By using social media, teens

can learn everything they need to know about the external environment, challenges, and

opportunities. It serves as a gate of wisdom that helps individuals become self-dependent and

recognize their strength to achieve the best in their lives. The use of social media strengthens

self-representation at different levels in life and enables individuals to self-closure when needed

(Hughes).

The use of social media improves the overall personality of teens. Individuals in their

teens learn about their environment and the challenges around them. Early exposure to social

media websites and accounts enables them to explore the world waiting for them and stand

competitively in front of it. Social media helps in developing a competitive personality by

opening everything to explorers. According to research conducted in 2020 says, "autonomy to

explore and experiment with their identities in the space of their own, where they have control

over what, how, and with whom they share information" (Academy). This statement reveals that

social media makes individuals autonomous and independent. It enables them to differentiate

between right and wrong. This is what an individual needs to be successful in the challenging

world. All these strengths and achievements strengthen teens' emotional, psychological, and

mental health. Despite these positive effects and improvements through social media, its adverse

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effects cannot be overcome. Excessive use of social media is dangerous, and it is also true that it

is difficult to control the use of social media in everyday life.

To conclude, social media implies both negative and positive effects on teens, but most of

the impact is negative, challenging individuals' mental, emotional, and psychological health. The

paper highlights both positive and negative effects of social media, but the primary focus is on

negative aspects because available literature highlights adverse effects. The paper indicates that

the more time spent on social media, the more life would be difficult. To reduce the negative

impact of social media, it is essential to track teens' social media activity and set limitations for

them.

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Works Cited

Academy, Newport. How Does Social Media Affect Teenagers? 21 July 2021.

https://www.newportacademy.com/resources/well-being/effect-of-social-media-on-

teenagers/. 15 May 2022.

Hughes, Virginia. Does Social Media Make Teens Unhappy? It May Depend on Their Age. 28

March 2022. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/28/science/social-media-teens-mental-

health.html. 15 May 2022.

Mayo. Teens and social media use: What's the impact? 26 February 2022.

https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/tween-and-teen-health/in-depth/teens-and-

social-media-use/art-20474437. 15 May 2022.

Patil, Shoba. A Study on Impact of social media on Teenagers Paperback – December 21, 2018.

India: LAP LAMBERT, 2018. PDF.

Postles, Hannah. Research finds that more time spent online makes children less happy with their

lives. 12 April 2017. https://phys.org/news/2017-04-spent-online-children-happy.html. 15

May 2022.

Sexton, Chrissy. How you use social media affects your sense of happiness. 11 March 2020.

https://www.earth.com/news/how-you-use-social-media-affects-your-sense-of-

happiness/. 15 May 2022.

Wiley, John. Impact of Social Media on Youth Mental Health: Statistics, Tips & Resources.

2019. https://onlinedegrees.unr.edu/online-master-of-public-health/impact-of-social-

media-on-youth-mental-

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health/#:~:text=Social%20media%20can%20and%20does,well%2Dbeing%20of%20you

ng%20users. 15 May 2022.