The Influence of Social Media on Adolescents

The Influence of Social Media on Adolescents Student’s Name Institutional Affiliation Introduction The internet and social media have depicted a high influence on the current society, especially among adolescents. Social media use has both positive and negative impacts on adolescents’ mind, psychology, and physical wellbeing. Different approaches have been used to address the issue of the impact of social media on the adolescents and the society at large without a clear conclusion made from the conducted researches. Among the areas focused on the current studies include socialization and online interactions, mental health, self-esteem, and the relationship between social media life and reality. I argue that the negative impacts of the social media and internet outdo the positive impacts, with a high number of young adults getting negative influences which need to be regulated as discussed herein. Researched Argument Analysis of different articles has indicated that social media and internet are associated with a high level of negative impacts among young adults and adolescents. For instance, the article on “The Impact of the Internet on Society: A Global Perspective” by Manuel Castells have described the internet as a decisive technology of the information age which has evolved to transform communication and transmission of information. At the same time, the “Social Media and Teens: How does the Social Media Affects Teenagers’ Mental Health” article by Katie Hurley have provided a clear comparison of both negative and positive impacts of the social media among adolescents. From the analysis of these articles among other research materials, I focus on discussing how social media and internet have impacted our society negatively especially among adolescents and provide appropriate solutions for the identified challenges. Studies from the University of Pittsburgh concluded that adolescents who spend most of their time scrolling through social media apps have high chances of reporting poor eating and body image concerns compared to those who spend less time in social media (Castells, 2014). Teenagers spending more time on the internet and social media are likely to develop a sleeping problem and report the development of depression. Also, a report from UCLA Brain Mapping Center shows that adolescents receiving positive influence through the social media have increased activity in the reward center of the brain and brings the sense of being liked especially when they are receiving more likes from social media friends (Hall, 2018). Jordan Hall argues that the foundation problems of the social media among adolescents include the development of supernormal stimuli, asymmetry of human relationship, complication rather than the formation of a complex environment, and replacement of the strong link community relationships with weak link affinity relationship. Internet and social media have developed a great relationship with society in the modern world, influencing people’s way of thinking, lifestyle, and relationships. According to the World Health Organization report, a large number of children and adolescents are experiencing mental health problems like anxiety disorder and depression due to social media influence (Keles, ...