Do we all remember getting our first phone? What was our first task? Let’s say we all downloaded social media. Most people created their first Facebook account. We were social teenagers who loved to be outside, play with our pets, and go on walks. However, we would soon be hooked up to social media, especially Instagram, which is relatively new among teens. This would allow you to follow others and to make friends. You can also see funny posts, send them messages and make new friends. However, eventually social media could be misused to harm people which would have negative consequences for the youth. Social media can be a way for youths to access social media like Instagram, Facebook. It can also have negative effects on youth.

The first is that social media can have many negative consequences for youth. It can cause a lack confidence. It can occur when a friend’s account shows a photo of them. This causes teens to feel inadequate and self-conscious. Stanford University researchers came up with the term duck syndrome. This is a condition where a person pretends to be an amazing person but their inner self is struggling to be true to themselves. This can make teenagers want to imitate this person, and can cause depression in youth. “For” instance, “teenagers and young adults who spend more time on Instagram, Facebook or other platforms (from 13 – 66%) reported higher rates of depression than those that spent less.” Teenagers who spend too much time on social media to be satisfied at the end will feel depressed. In other words, social media has a negative impact on youth’s confidence. Our ability to communicate with each other face-toface can decrease if we spend too much time on our smartphones. It has been shown that 93% of communication is nonverbal. Without these cues, people won’t be able to understand the meaning of the messages they receive in person. (May) Teenagers will learn how to interact online with one another and become less connected with their peers. They may also find it difficult to maintain long-lasting friendships. This can result in decreased face-to-face communication and a decrease in language skills. To communicate a message quickly, many people use abbreviations and shortenings of words. This can lower their social skills as they are unable to properly communicate what they need. It is possible for social media to reduce face-to–face communication skills which can be detrimental to teenagers. Researchers also conducted two studies on “can Facebook cause you to be miserable.” The article “Can Facebook Make You Miserable” is a controversial one. It states that a study on young adults that used Facebook for two weeks showed that it predicted psychological declines later. The second experiment was conducted with college students. They had two groups. The students were asked for their Facebook logins. Half of students were asked not to use Facebook. The remaining students were asked to engage in active use and abstain from passive usage. They were asked to fill out a questionnaire and rate their Facebook experience. Passive use was associated with lower emotional well-being. According to the second study, scrolling passively through photos of positive depictions of other people’s lives could lead to feelings such as envy, inferiority and shame. Participants experienced 20 percent of the envy-inducing situations in their experiment. They also found that Facebook was responsible for 20% of all the users’ feelings of sadness and joy. The negative effect of social media on youth can be quite obvious. Although most people won’t agree with the negative effects of social media on youth, the majority will. Instead of trying to discourage youth from using social networks, There are positive aspects to social media that can have a positive impact on youth. The youth can be themselves. Social media can be a great place for young people to express themselves through writing or digital design. They can also get feedback and encouragement from other users. Teens can share their ideas with others and get immediate feedback. However, social media can be misused in a way that hurts others. Cyberbullying is one example. It can have negative consequences for youth. Social media can be a great tool for youth, but it can also have negative effects on teens. It can cause teens to lose confidence which can lead them to be less confident and even lead to depression. It can also affect youth’s ability to communicate face-to–face, which can reduce the number of friendships with their peers and lead to decreased language skills. Researchers conducted a study to determine if Facebook can make you miserable. Although there are many negative aspects of social media, they also have positives. Youth can express their feelings, which can help them feel happy and self-confident. You can hurt others, but it is not a good idea to use social media to empower yourself. Youth can be negatively affected by social media. Works cited

Constine, Josh. “The Difference between Good and Bad Facebooking.” TechCrunch, TechCrunch, 15 Dec. 2017, www.techcrunch.com/2017/12/14/active-vs-passive-social-media/.

Jacobson, Rae, and the Child Mind Institute conducted research. “Social Media and Self-Esteem: Impact of Social Media on Youth.” Child Mind Institute, www.childmind.org/article/social-media-and-self-doubt/.

May, Lauren. “Positive Effects of Social Media on Your Teen.” Family Orbit Blog, 19 July 2019, www.familyorbit.com/blog/the-positive-effects-of-social-media-on-your-teen/.

May, Lauren. “Positive Effects of Social Media on Your Teen.” Family Orbit Blog, 19 July 2019, www.familyorbit.com/blog/the-positive-effects-of-social-media-on-your-teen/.

Miller, Caroline, Child Mind Institute. “Does Social Media Cause Depression?” Child www.Mind Institute, childmind.org/article/is-social-media-use-causing-depression/.

Laura A. King An appreciation of the Science of Psychology. McGraw-Hill Education, 2017. Critical controversy: “Can Facebook make me miserable?” Page 7.

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Amy Fox is a 28 year old school blogger, who has been writing for over 10 years. She has been a student at the University of Utah for three years and is now a graduate student.