The use of social media platforms has grown rapidly in this current society. The perception of how social media affects teenagers differs among people, as some believe social media has a negative impact, while others believe it has a positive impact on teens. Depending on how it is used, social media is good for teens. In this paper, I explain how responsible use of social media positively affects teenagers as it fosters connectivity through social networking and valuable learning opportunities, promotes self-expression, and provides helpful insights.
Social media has caused significant social networking among teenagers. Social media platforms are vital because they help teenagers connect, especially in specific interest areas. Social media has allowed teenagers to communicate with friends and family and make new friends (Thompson). In this case, they can ask for advice, build communities to help them grow, and gain relevant information about specific interest areas. Researchers who believe social media is bad for teens think so because of peer pressure and self-esteem issues arising from comparison issues between teenagers. However, when teens create good social networks to support one another, they can overcome depression and sadness caused by comparison issues. Teens could encourage one another to grow their lives and live better instead of competing (Thompson). Social networks created on the internet are also important for teens because they can help them work on their interests for growth and creativity. For instance, when teenagers join social networks on environmental safety, they can get new ideas to promote this concept. There have been numerous cases of teenagers and youths using social networks to promote positive engagements and activities within their environment. Therefore, if teens are keen enough to look for good social networks on social media platforms, it will be easier to experience constructive social networking.
Social networking associated with social media use has contributed to a positive change in teen’s mental health. According to O’Keeffe and Clarke-Pearson, social media acts as a big distraction and source of entertainment for many youths, which helps improve their mental health. Teens who experience family and social issues like bullying spend most of their time on social media checking out funny trends. In this case, social media acts as an escape from reality plan for them (Bekalu). They could also join social groups that present other people experiencing the same issues to encourage one another on these problems. Another research showed that teens have been able to use social media to cope with their loneliness and anxiety, which is vital for their mental health growth (Cauberghe et al.). With this, teens can experience positive growth in their lives despite the different challenges they may be experiencing.
Teens and youths have learned how to express themselves using social media platforms. Parents and adults believe that social media causes teens to experience a lot of comparisons, which affects their ability to express themselves because of fear of how others will think of them. However, teens believe that social media platforms are offering them an opportunity to express themselves better and make their voices heard among many people. According to research done by CNN, 58% of teens explained that in social media, they felt as though they were more accepted (Holcombe). This gave them more confidence to express their thoughts and ideas on social media compared to real life. This survey also showed that teenagers emotional and mental status significantly developed because they felt more peaceful compared to their ordinary life experiences. When people look at social media from a general point, they will observe several negatives, but when they look at specific social media aspects, then they will observe how it has positively influenced teen experiences.
Additionally, Wood, Bukowski, and Lis discovered that internet interactions among teens were somehow better than face-to-face interactions because teens who had issues while communicating with their schoolmates one-on-one found it easier to talk with other people online. Social media platforms allow teens to understand more about friendship relations by discovering different information about how friends interact (Wood, Bukowski, and Lis). This information is essential for teens because they can slowly understand what it means to interact with one another better and the benefits of expressing themselves. Consequently, teens have learned how to speak their minds through social media.
Social media platforms have numerous learning opportunities that teens can use. It has several unique learning resources from which teens can choose and use for their projects and assignments. There is a variety of scholarly information on social media platforms that teens can use to understand essential topics. For example, social media platforms, including Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, have hashtags that provide different outcomes of research issues, which can help teens better understand particular issues. If teens can navigate social media platforms well, they can differentiate true and false information from these hashtags, which will help them grow. Therefore, learning resources present in social media can be good for teens only when they know how to use them.
Social media offers a good learning opportunity since it helps provide valuable information and insights on different issues. The hashtags present in social media allows teens and youths to get critical insight into specific topics (Szambolics et al.). These hashtags allow teens to relate to different topics and understand other people’s experiences and how to deal with issues. If teens can differentiate factual information from misinformation, then they can get meaningful insight into specific topics.
Social media also provides different learning platforms where teens can take some courses not provided by their school. Digital media literacy has become common in today’s society, where youths learn a lot of new information and ideas in their areas of interest (Kahne et al.). There are several mobile applications that teens can use to learn different subjects, for example, languages and computer lessons. For example, Cambly is one of the language learning platforms that teens use to learn specific languages they may be interested in. Other online learning platforms, such as Alison, have provided different courses in which teens can learn by themselves and get certification. Social media platforms have also provided youth media education opportunities where teens and youths get to choose and know different things (Kahne et al.). Therefore, social media platforms have helped in shaping teens and children through various learning opportunities.
In conclusion, society has viewed social media from an opposing viewpoint, but it is essential to understand that with good use of social media platforms, teens could experience positive impacts. Social media platforms have positively impacted the emotional growth of teens, mainly because of the different social networks they acquire on these platforms. Learning experiences have been made easier with social media platforms, especially in achieving added insights and information on topics not taught in school. Therefore, teens need to understand how to be careful when using social media to ensure these platforms positively impact them. Parents and adults could also guide how teens can use social media constructively to their advantage rather than dwelling in fear of how social media will negatively impacted their children.
Works Cited
Bekalu, Mesfin Awoke. Social media use can be positive for mental health and well-being. 6 Jan 2020. <https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/features/social-media-positive-mental-health/>.
Cauberghe, Verolien and etal. “How Adolescents Use Social Media to Cope with Feelings of Loneliness and Anxiety During COVID-19 Lockdown.” Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking 24.4 (2021).
Holcombe, Madeline. Teens say their experience on social media is better than you think. Here’s why. 16 Nov 2022. <https://edition.cnn.com/2022/11/16/health/teens-social-media-pew-survey-wellness/index.html>.
Kahne, Joseph and et al. “Digital Media Shapes Youth Participation in Politics.” Sage Journals 94.3 (2012).
O’Keeffe, Gwenn Schurgin and Kathleen Clarke-Pearson. “The Impact of Social Media on Children, Adolescents, and Families.” Pediatrics 127.4 (2011): 800-804.
Szambolics, Julia etal. “Adolescents’ Augmented Reality Filter Usage on Social Media, Developmental Process, and Well-Being.” Media and Communication 11.4 (2023).
Thompson, Clive. Teenagers and social networking – it might actually be good for them. 5 Oct 2013. <https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2013/oct/05/teens-social-networking-good-for-them>.
Wood, Megan A., William M. Bukowski and Eric Lis. “The Digital Self: How Social Media Serves as a Setting that Shapes Youth’s Emotional Experiences.” Adolescent Research Review (2016): 163-173.
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