https://childmind.org/article/how-using-social-media-affects-teenagers/
From my personal experience of growing up in the time that social media really took off, I can say without a doubt that it has played a significant role in my levels of self-esteem and anxiety. This article presented a survey conducted which asked teenagers and young adults how different social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, and Instagram impacted their well being. The results were conclusive with my prediction, and these apps were all associated with “increased feelings of depression, anxiety, poor body image, and loneliness,” (Ehmke).
Social media can be dangerous for individuals with mental health issues, and in some cases can create mental health issues. We are exposed to many unrealistic standards of life at such young ages that it has an impact in shaping the way we view ourselves and the world. The rise in social media use in adolescents and young adults has also led teens to spend more time communicating behind a screen than in person, which is detrimental to their communication and social skills.
In order to lower the risk and avoid these negative effects, we have to make sure we are continuing to practice relating and communicating to people face to face.
I agree that social media can be dangerous. I did an article a while back on how it affects people with mental health issues in a negative way. People tend to compare themselves to people; like you said body image etc. It’s hard to control it, since almost everyone has some form of social media.
The rise of the internet and social media is a double-edged sword. On one hand, we have an ease of access to all sorts of information that previous generations could never even dream of, and that we often take forever granted because we have never known a life without it. On the other, we are constantly exposed to the fronts and facades that popculture icons and media moguls put up, and feel compelled to compare our lives to theirs, which do negatively impact our self esteem and view of our quality of life. We must remember that what we see is often only one side of the story, with carefully cropped photos immaculately edited to enhance the user’s image and attract a following and market. No image labeled as ‘candid’ on social media truly is, and likely was specifically chosen out of many takes as the best one to post. Not even the person who posts such images can live up to their carefully crafted online persona on an every-day basis, as social media is not representative of a person’s full life, only what they choose to show and present to their audience.