Social media is extremely addictive across the globe. It allows people to share and stay connected, get news and information, and meet new people. Despite all the good it accomplishes, there are drawbacks. FOMO or fear of missing out was introduced in 2004 shortly after Facebook made its entrance to the screen. FOMO is another justification for the allure of surfing through social media. When your friends, and classmates are using social media; missing an exchange, an inside joke, or any other detail that ties you to your peers causes you apprehension. However, excessive checking and scrolling might hurt both your performance and learning in the classroom. Distractions may lead to procrastination, worse information retention, and greater stress. When you see posts about other people having a good time, you could feel left out, lonely, or anxious. Being able to access the digital world without restriction, can make it difficult to go out and make genuine social relationships and face-to-face conversations. Whenever possible, make an effort to meet up with friends in person rather than talking on the phone or online.
Over 90% of the US population uses social media, putting large amounts of people at risk of feeling anxious, depressed, and sick. Why do users persist to use it when it may actually render them ill? The earlier kids use social media sites, the greater the impact on mental health. For females, this is especially true. Teenage girls sometimes act aggressively in relationships by isolating people and making unpleasant comments, but teenage boys often exhibit hostility physically. Such hazardous contacts are more likely to occur thanks to social media. In conjunction with exposing young people with a window through which to watch missed opportunities, social media also misrepresents appearances and reality by allowing users to view photos with unrealistic filters on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat. Teenagers used to read articles with photoshopped images of models. These images are now accessible with a simple thumb scroll. Apps that provide the user airbrushing, teeth whitening, and extra filters are easy to locate and simple to use. Everyone, not just celebrities, has a perfect appearance.
Cyberbullying is very common on social media; 46% of teens ranging from ages 13 to 17 report being bullied or subjected to crude comments across the internet.Teenagers who endure cyberbullying may feel a variety of adverse emotions, including dismay, rage, fear, and embarrassment. Apart from that, there is a higher likelihood that these victims may experience mental health issues like anxiety, depression, and suicide thoughts. They could feel alone, isolated, and as though they have nowhere to turn. The Cyberbullying Research Center also discovered that teens who encounter cyberbullying are more likely to encounter other types of bullying, such as face-to-face bullying and online harassment. Meeting with an old classmate, Laura, 17, we talked about how social media bullying affects academic performance. “The idea that everyone had seen the post made me not want to go to school.” A story about Laura mocking her on Twitter had gone viral. She admits “I just left so uncomfortable.” Most of the time, social media causes more harm than good, but we can alter that.
