social media impact on youth essay

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Essay on Impact of Social Media On Youth

Essay on Impact of Social Media On Youth: Social media has become an integral part of the lives of today’s youth, shaping their interactions, behaviors, and perceptions. This essay explores the impact of social media on the youth, focusing on how it influences their self-esteem, relationships, and mental health. From the pressure to present a perfect image online to the constant comparison with others, social media has both positive and negative effects on the youth. Let’s delve deeper into this complex relationship between social media and the younger generation.

Table of Contents

Impact of Social Media On Youth Essay Writing Tips

1. Introduction: – Start by introducing the topic of social media and its impact on youth. – Provide a brief overview of how social media has become an integral part of young people’s lives.

2. Define the impact: – Define what is meant by the impact of social media on youth. – Discuss the various ways in which social media can influence young people’s behavior, attitudes, and mental health.

3. Positive impacts: – Highlight some of the positive impacts of social media on youth, such as increased connectivity, access to information, and opportunities for self-expression. – Discuss how social media can be a powerful tool for activism, education, and networking.

4. Negative impacts: – Explore the negative impacts of social media on youth, including cyberbullying, addiction, and mental health issues. – Discuss how social media can contribute to feelings of inadequacy, anxiety, and depression among young people.

5. Influence on relationships: – Examine how social media can impact young people’s relationships with their peers, family, and romantic partners. – Discuss the role of social media in shaping young people’s perceptions of themselves and others.

6. Strategies for managing social media use: – Provide tips and strategies for young people to manage their social media use in a healthy and balanced way. – Encourage young people to be mindful of their online behavior and to prioritize real-life connections over virtual ones.

7. Conclusion: – Summarize the key points discussed in the essay about the impact of social media on youth. – Emphasize the importance of being aware of the potential risks and benefits of social media and finding a balance in its use.

8. Additional tips: – Use relevant statistics, studies, and examples to support your arguments. – Make sure to cite your sources properly. – Proofread your essay for grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors before submitting it.

Essay on Impact of Social Media On Youth in 10 Lines – Examples

1. Social media has a significant impact on the youth by influencing their behavior, attitudes, and beliefs. 2. It can lead to increased levels of anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem among young people. 3. Social media platforms can also contribute to cyberbullying, which can have serious consequences on the mental health of youth. 4. The constant exposure to unrealistic beauty standards and lifestyle images on social media can lead to body image issues and eating disorders. 5. Social media can also affect the academic performance of youth by distracting them from their studies and reducing their ability to focus. 6. It can create a sense of FOMO (fear of missing out) among young people, leading to feelings of inadequacy and loneliness. 7. Social media can also impact the social skills of youth by reducing face-to-face interactions and communication. 8. The pressure to maintain a certain image or persona on social media can lead to feelings of insecurity and a lack of authenticity among young people. 9. It can also expose youth to harmful content, such as violence, pornography, and misinformation, which can have a negative impact on their development. 10. Overall, the impact of social media on youth is complex and multifaceted, requiring a balanced approach to its use and regulation.

Sample Essay on Impact of Social Media On Youth in 100-180 Words

Social media has had a significant impact on the youth of today. It has changed the way they communicate, interact, and perceive the world around them. With the rise of platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Snapchat, young people are constantly connected to their peers and the latest trends.

One of the positive impacts of social media on youth is the ability to connect with others from all over the world, share ideas, and collaborate on projects. It has also provided a platform for young people to express themselves creatively and showcase their talents.

However, social media also has its drawbacks. It can lead to feelings of inadequacy, anxiety, and depression as young people compare themselves to others and seek validation through likes and comments. It can also expose them to cyberbullying, online predators, and harmful content.

Overall, while social media has its benefits, it is important for young people to use it responsibly and in moderation to avoid negative consequences on their mental health and well-being.

Short Essay on Impact of Social Media On Youth in 200-500 Words

Social media has become an integral part of the lives of today’s youth. With the rise of platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Snapchat, young people are constantly connected to their peers and the world around them. While social media has its benefits, such as allowing for easy communication and access to information, it also has a significant impact on the mental health and well-being of young people.

One of the most concerning effects of social media on youth is its role in shaping self-esteem and body image. With the prevalence of filters and editing tools, many young people feel pressure to present a perfect image of themselves online. This can lead to feelings of inadequacy and low self-esteem, as young people compare themselves to the seemingly flawless images they see on social media. Research has shown that exposure to idealized images on social media can contribute to body dissatisfaction and eating disorders among young people.

In addition to body image concerns, social media can also have a negative impact on mental health. The constant comparison to others and the fear of missing out (FOMO) can lead to feelings of anxiety and depression. Studies have shown that heavy use of social media is associated with higher levels of anxiety and depression among young people. The pressure to constantly curate a perfect online persona can also be exhausting and contribute to feelings of stress and burnout.

Furthermore, social media can also have a detrimental effect on the social skills and relationships of young people. While social media allows for easy communication and connection with others, it can also lead to a decrease in face-to-face interactions. This can result in a lack of social skills and difficulty forming meaningful relationships offline. Additionally, the anonymity of social media can lead to cyberbullying, which can have serious consequences for the mental health of young people.

Despite these negative effects, social media also has its benefits for youth. It can provide a sense of community and support, allowing young people to connect with others who share similar interests and experiences. Social media can also be a valuable tool for activism and social change, allowing young people to raise awareness about important issues and mobilize for action.

In conclusion, social media has a significant impact on the mental health and well-being of today’s youth. While it can provide valuable connections and opportunities for self-expression, it also has the potential to contribute to feelings of inadequacy, anxiety, and depression. It is important for young people to be mindful of their social media use and to prioritize their mental health and well-being above the pressures of online validation.

Essay on Impact of Social Media On Youth in 1000-1500 Words

Social media has become an integral part of our daily lives, especially for the youth. With the rise of platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Snapchat, young people are constantly connected to their peers and the world around them. While social media has its benefits, it also has a significant impact on the youth, both positive and negative.

One of the positive impacts of social media on youth is the ability to connect with others. Social media allows young people to stay in touch with friends and family members, no matter where they are in the world. This can help to strengthen relationships and provide a sense of community and belonging. Additionally, social media provides a platform for young people to express themselves and share their thoughts, ideas, and experiences with others.

Furthermore, social media can be a valuable tool for learning and education. Many young people use social media to access information, news, and resources that can help them with their studies. Platforms like YouTube and Twitter can provide educational content and connect students with experts and educators in various fields. Social media can also be a platform for young people to showcase their talents and creativity, whether it be through art, music, writing, or other forms of expression.

However, the impact of social media on youth is not all positive. One of the negative impacts of social media is the potential for cyberbullying and online harassment. Young people are often targeted by bullies and trolls on social media, which can have a detrimental effect on their mental health and well-being. Cyberbullying can lead to feelings of isolation, depression, and anxiety, and in some cases, it can even lead to self-harm or suicide.

Moreover, social media can also contribute to feelings of inadequacy and low self-esteem among young people. Platforms like Instagram and Snapchat are filled with images of seemingly perfect lives and bodies, which can create unrealistic expectations and standards for young people. This can lead to feelings of insecurity and self-doubt, as young people compare themselves to others and feel like they don’t measure up.

Another negative impact of social media on youth is the potential for addiction and excessive screen time. Young people are often glued to their phones and devices, constantly checking their social media feeds and notifications. This can lead to a lack of focus and productivity, as well as physical health issues such as eye strain and poor posture. Excessive screen time can also interfere with sleep patterns and lead to a lack of rest and relaxation.

Despite these negative impacts, social media can also be a force for positive change and activism among young people. Platforms like Twitter and Facebook have been used to organize protests, rallies, and movements for social justice and political change. Young people are using social media to raise awareness about important issues such as climate change, gun violence, and racial inequality, and to mobilize others to take action and make a difference in the world.

In conclusion, social media has a significant impact on youth, both positive and negative. While it can provide opportunities for connection, learning, and self-expression, it can also contribute to cyberbullying, low self-esteem, addiction, and other harmful effects. It is important for young people to use social media responsibly and to be mindful of the impact it can have on their mental and physical health. By being aware of the potential risks and benefits of social media, young people can harness its power for good and make a positive impact on the world around them.

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Positive & Negative Effects of Social Media on Teens Essay

Introduction, positive effects of social media, negative effects of social media.

In the twenty-first century, many teenagers spend their free time on social networks, which are an integral part of human life today. Scientists are still arguing about the harm and benefits of social media on teenagers. The environment of modern man, in which socialization takes place, has changed significantly. Nowadays, the younger generation spends more time on social networks.

For teenagers, the social network has become a tool for self-expression. Communication is no longer limited to a certain circle of people with whom the teenager contacts physically. Therefore, the topic raises a serious problem: the socialization of a teenager under the influence of the Internet environment. This paper reveals the positive and negative aspects of the influence of social networks on the younger generation.

Self-Development

Social networks have everything a teenager needs for self-development. Many groups are directly related to studying. In order not to miss new publications, it is enough to enable notifications. The variety of groups in social networks is so great that every teenager will be able to find something for themselves, ranging from culinary recipes to international politics.

There is also a large database of videos and music files on social networks, among which one can find rare or necessary book copies. On the web, teenagers can get information that is significant for education. For example, Facebook is the largest repository of audio, video, and photo materials on many academic subjects that can be listened to, viewed, and downloaded (Nisar et al., 2019). In addition, a social network is a quick transfer or dissemination of information about the school, class, events, and student news.

The network provides an excellent opportunity to promote oneself as a person. Teenagers can try to start their own business or engage in blogging. They can also write books or stories on social networks, try to earn money, or realize their strengths in SMM (Pouwels et al., 2021). Social networks attract with their ability to express themselves, to acquaint everyone with their talents, hobbies, and achievements. Some post the results of their creativity – poems, songs, music, and videos.

Finding Friends

Communication has been simplified to the maximum level; nowadays, the huge distance between people is no longer a hindrance to their communication. It is enough to have a computer or laptop connected to the Internet, and special software that makes it possible to communicate, hear and see each other. Therefore, due to social networks, teenagers can stay in touch with friends who live at a great distance. There is a video call function that only requires the Internet. Teenagers can chat with friends without spending money on the balance.

In social networks, one can easily find people: when registering on a social network, the user provides their first and last name, as well as other data – age, educational institutions, contact phone numbers. This allows teenagers to find any person in a matter of seconds, provided that they have provided reliable information about themselves. However, social networks help not only to be aware of the lives of friends, acquaintances, and classmates.

Teenagers can also look for like-minded people online (Nisar et al., 2019). There are many important groups where people can share their accumulated experience or their views on life. The network makes it possible to find friends, familiar classmates, and insecure teenagers to feel in demand (Pouwels et al., 2021). It makes new acquaintances without fear that there may be nothing to talk about with this person in the future. By joining interest groups, a teenager is not afraid that they might be rejected.

The ability to find friends is also associated with psychological comfort. Teenagers can say much more online than in real life, and not feel uncomfortable at the same time: they have time to formulate thoughts more clearly and express them most accurately (Pouwels et al., 2021). The Internet has the opportunity to follow the life of idols, to know what they are doing and what new things have happened to them. Friends can also watch the user, so one does not need to tell everyone about an important event, it is enough to share it on social networks. Thus, teenagers have the opportunity to realize themselves in the eyes of friends and acquaintances.

Physical & Mental Health

The properties of social networks have a negative impact when a teenager uses them non-stop. The flow of news, the change of emotions, impressions, and the solution of multi-level tasks lead to fatigue and harm to health. The radiation of the monitor has a detrimental effect on the retina of the eyes (Byrne et al., 2018). Many teenagers do not understand that most of the visitors of social networks embellish their reality. Perceiving the virtual image as reality, an inferiority complex is created. This perception affects self-esteem and harms the psyche. As a result, the body gets stressed, and the teenager is at risk of depression.

A constant presence in social networks develops the habit of receiving information in portions of the brain. Several processes are going on at the same time: listening to music, viewing photos, writing comments, and reading news. As a result, there is a decrease in the concentration of attention, and the teenager’s body is harmed (Charoensukmongkol, 2018). The term hyperactivity, well-known in psychology, accurately defines the state of a teenager. They cannot concentrate on one task, useful material is not assimilated, and the effectiveness of education decreases.

Social networks have a significant impact on the psyche of a teenager. A person needs constant recognition as a person for harmonious development. Before the advent of social networks, people had to constantly work on themselves to prove their worth. With the appearance of social media, everything has become simpler: it is enough to post a photo or video and one can collect likes. Having received approval on social networks, the user experiences a kind of euphoria (Byrne et al., 2018). Gradually, the teenager develops an addiction: the first thing their morning starts with is viewing their account. If there is free time during the day, they also constantly visit their page, spending too much time online.

Communication

Teenagers want to use easy ways to have fun, interaction in social networks is reduced to affixing likes, and correspondence is saturated with emoticons and abbreviations. For example, a story about one’s mood shortens to sending a smiley face. This way of communication becomes a habit, becomes the norm, and is used in everyday life. It is difficult for active visitors of social networks to rebuild their relationships into generally accepted forms (Szabla & Blommaert, 2020). This becomes an obstacle to a full-fledged dialogue, since people who are far from computer slang hardly understand such a narrative.

The presentation of information on the Internet occurs in such a way that, having the intention to view the weather forecast, the user is forced to close pop-up windows with advertisements, news blocks, or links to various sites. Many teenagers cannot cope with this task: all this attracts their attention and distracts them from the search (Charoensukmongkol, 2018). A teenager receives a stream of unnecessary information. If they do not control this process and do not block the excess, the brain is overloaded, fatigue accumulates, irritation and the body is harmed.

By texting, people lose the skills of real communication; in social networks, words and feelings that are transmitted through personal contact lose their meaning. It becomes easy to hide experiences or fake emotions (Szabla & Blommaert, 2020). A teenager addicted to social networks misjudges people and does not feel responsible. They become capable of insulting an opponent and causing harm without experiencing any remorse or empathy.

With the development of Internet technologies, the world has changed a lot, and it also changed the way of thinking of young people. Undoubtedly, it is possible to highlight numerous advantages of social networks. These are freely available groups where teenagers can find like-minded people, keep up to date with the latest developments, find a new hobby, develop their skills in some endeavor or relax by browsing interesting communities. However, social networks not only have a positive impact on a teenager but can also cause harm. It is associated with the distortion of reality in social networks, information overload, and a change like live communication. It is impossible to eliminate the negative impact of the use of social networks, however, by maintaining a balance, they can be minimized.

Byrne, E., Vessey, J. A., & Pfeifer, L. (2018). Cyberbullying and social media: Information and interventions for school nurses working with victims, students, and families. The Journal of School Nursing, 34 (1), 28-39.

Charoensukmongkol, P. (2018). The impact of social media on social comparison and envy in teenagers: The moderating role of the parent comparing children and in-group competition among friends. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 27 (3), 69-79.

Nisar, T. M., Prabhakar, G., & Strakova, L. (2019). Social media information benefits, knowledge management and smart organizations. Journal of Business Research, 94 (7), 264-272.

Pouwels, J. L., Valkenburg, P. M., Beyens, I., Driel, I. I., & Keijsers, L. (2021). Some socially poor but also some socially rich adolescents feel closer to their friends after using social media. Scientific Reports, 11 (1), 9-13.

Szabla, M., & Blommaert, J. (2020). Does context really collapse in social media interaction? Applied Linguistics Review, 11 (2), 251-279.

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Essay on Effect Of Social Media On Youth

Students are often asked to write an essay on Effect Of Social Media On Youth in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Effect Of Social Media On Youth

Introduction.

Social media is a popular tool used by many young people worldwide. It’s a platform that lets them share photos, ideas, and stay in touch with friends. Despite its benefits, social media can also have negative effects on the youth.

Positive Effects

Social media allows young people to connect with others globally. They can learn about different cultures and opinions, enhancing their knowledge. It also provides a platform for creativity and self-expression, encouraging youth to share their talents.

Negative Effects

On the downside, social media can make youth feel pressured to look or act a certain way. It can lead to feelings of inadequacy or low self-esteem. Additionally, it can distract them from schoolwork, leading to poor academic performance.

Health Impact

Excessive use of social media can lead to health problems in youth. It can disrupt sleep patterns, lead to addiction, and even cause physical health issues like eye strain and sedentary lifestyle diseases.

In conclusion, while social media has its benefits, it can also have negative impacts on youth. It’s important for young people to use it wisely, balancing their time online with other activities. Parents and teachers can play a key role in guiding them.

250 Words Essay on Effect Of Social Media On Youth

Social media is a powerful tool that connects people from all over the world. It has become a significant part of our lives, especially for the youth. While it has many benefits, there are also negative effects that we need to be aware of.

Social media provides a platform for young people to express themselves and share their thoughts. It can boost their confidence and help them develop their communication skills. Social media also offers endless learning opportunities. Students can find educational resources, join study groups, and even attend online classes.

On the downside, social media can be addictive. Many young people spend too much time online, which can affect their studies and health. Cyberbullying is another serious issue. Some people use social media to hurt others, which can lead to stress and anxiety.

Impact on Mental Health

Spending too much time on social media can also affect mental health. Seeing the perfect lives of others can make young people feel bad about themselves. This can lower their self-esteem and cause feelings of sadness or loneliness.

In conclusion, social media has both positive and negative effects on youth. It’s important for young people to use it wisely and parents to monitor their usage. By doing so, we can enjoy the benefits of social media while avoiding its negative effects.

500 Words Essay on Effect Of Social Media On Youth

Social media is a tool that has become a part of our everyday lives. It is like a digital meeting place where people from all corners of the world can connect and share ideas. It has a strong influence on the youth of today. This essay will explore the effects of social media on young people.

Impact on Communication

One of the biggest changes that social media has brought about is in the way we communicate. Young people today use social media sites like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to chat with friends, share photos, and post updates. This has made communication quicker and easier. It has also made it possible for young people to connect with others from different parts of the world.

Learning and Awareness

Social media also plays a big role in learning and creating awareness among the youth. It is a platform where they can learn about different cultures, current events, and trending topics. It helps them stay informed and aware of what’s happening around the world. It also provides a platform for them to express their views and opinions on various topics.

Effects on Mental Health

On the other hand, social media can also have negative effects on the mental health of young people. Spending too much time on these platforms can lead to feelings of loneliness, depression, and anxiety. This is because they often compare their lives with others, leading to feelings of inadequacy. It can also lead to cyberbullying, which can have serious effects on a young person’s mental health.

Impact on Physical Health

Spending too much time on social media can also affect the physical health of young people. It can lead to a sedentary lifestyle, which can result in obesity and other health problems. It can also affect their sleep patterns, leading to sleep disorders.

In conclusion, social media has both positive and negative effects on the youth. While it has made communication easier and has provided a platform for learning and creating awareness, it can also affect their mental and physical health. It is important for young people to use social media responsibly and to be aware of its potential risks. Parents and teachers should also play a role in guiding young people on how to use social media in a safe and healthy way.

In the end, social media is just a tool. It is up to us how we choose to use it. If used wisely, it can be a powerful tool for learning, communication, and creating positive change. But if used irresponsibly, it can have harmful effects on our health and wellbeing.

That’s it! I hope the essay helped you.

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Social Media and Adolescent Health.

Hardcopy Version at National Academies Press

3 Potential Benefits of Social Media

One of the tasks of this report is to summarize the effect of social media on adolescents and children, including its influence on their education, social development, and family dynamics. Full understanding of these effects involves consideration not only of the harms of social media (the topic of much of the existing research presented in the next chapter), but to explore its potential benefits.

The perception that social media is a threat may be partially attributed to researchers’ interest in exploring harms. When faced with evidence of a deterioration in young people’s mental health the logical reaction is to first consider the potentially harmful role of new technology. There is also a question of publication bias. The tendency for statistically significant or flashy results to be published and null results to be filed away is a problem across disciplines, although it may be particularly acute in social science ( Franco et al., 2014 ; Peplow, 2014 ). When published literature carries a bias, any subsequent meta-analysis or review will carry that bias forward into overstated conclusions ( Meier and Reinecke, 2020 ; Olsson and Sundell, 2023 ). For this reason, tests for publication bias are increasingly common in meta-analyses ( Peters et al., 2006 ; van Enst et al., 2014 ).

Of the 25 recent meta-analyses and reviews presented in Appendix C , 12 discuss the problem of publication bias in the field, and 11 of those 12 publications attempt to measure publication bias with statistical tools. Meta-analyses linking social media use to depression and overuse, as well as those on social capital, social connectedness, and social comparison cite evidence of publication bias in their results ( Cunningham et al., 2021 ; Liu et al., 2016 ; McComb et al., 2023 ; McCrae et al., 2017 ; Shannon et al., 2022 ). But other meta-analyses on topics such as sleep deprivation, depression and anxiety, and internet gaming disorder found no such evidence ( Alimoradi et al., 2019 ; Liu et al., 2022 ; Lozano-Blasquo et al., 2022 ; Meier and Reinecke, 2020 ; Shannon et al., 2022 ; Stevens et al., 2021 ; Yin et al., 2019 ; Yoon et al., 2019 ).

What is more, the meta-analyses presented in Appendix C report small effects and weak associations, drawn mainly from cross-sectional studies establishing associations between social media use and adolescent well-being. Only one of the meta-analyses reviewed in Appendix C , for example, drew on exclusively experimental data ( McComb et al., 2023 ). There is ample room for positive and negative experiences within or between users to be obscured in analyses. It is possible that the small associations reported may be influenced by a balance of good and bad experiences. That the use of social media, like many things in life, may be a constantly shifting calculus of the risky, the beneficial, and the mundane.

The balance between the social value and entertainment young people find online can be compared to other socially uniting, entertaining pastimes. It is reasonable to point out that we seldom pathologize young people who enjoy watching sports. Yet a societal shift wherein all young people were suddenly watching sports all the time, late night, to the neglect of other activities, would give us pause. The committee recognizes that social media is associated with harm for some young people, though whether or not it is the cause of such harm is harder to say. If the aggregate experience of social media were harmful to neutral, then different restrictive actions would be justified in the interest of protecting the most vulnerable. Yet the reality is more complicated. This chapter discusses the beneficial potential of social media with some emphasis on the processes through which benefits may accrue.

WHY ADOLESCENTS USE SOCIAL MEDIA

As the previous chapter indicated, social media sites include a variety of affordances, many of which are powered by algorithms that operate behind the scenes. These very design elements of social media platforms intersect with the adolescent developmental experience in ways that influence their social media use. Academic researchers and public discussion have directed considerable attention to understanding these intersections, contributing to a narrative that social media harms people by undermining relationships, cultivating superficiality, increasing anxiety and depression, and inhibiting the ability to concentrate and sustain attention.

One nationally representative, longitudinal study that followed children ages 10 to 13 over 8 years, found that time spent on social media was not associated with depression or anxiety ( Coyne et al., 2020 ). Subgroup analyses led the researchers to conclude that “far more adolescents have positive or neutral experience on [social media] than negative,” allowing that the most benefit may accrue to young people with chaotic home lives and those who feel marginalized, groups often at increased risk for mental health problems ( Coyne, 2023 , p. 18). Such results suggest that social media may benefit some groups of young people.

Adolescent self-reports paint a similar picture. Figure 3-1 shows results of a recent Pew Research survey showing that over 90 percent of a nationally representative sample of teens aged 13 to 17 years find social media to have a positive or neutral effect on them ( Anderson et al., 2022 ), though more than one-third felt the amount of time they spent using social media was too much ( Vogels et al., 2022 ). A modest majority (54 percent) thought it would be very hard or somewhat hard to give up social media ( Anderson et al., 2022 ).

Percentage of U.S. teens (age 13 to 17 years) who say social media has had a (mostly positive, neutral, or mostly negative) effect on them personally. SOURCE: Anderson et al., 2022.

Teenagers, like adults, use social media to accomplish goals and satisfy needs. Recognizing social media as a tool helps understand the real or perceived benefits and the reasons why adolescents use the platform ( Lee et al., 2023 ). When asked about the benefits of using social media, adolescents list connections and socializing, accessing information and learning, along with entertainment and fun, as some of the reasons for using social media (see Figure 3-1 ).

Social connection is important in early life as it has implications for the development of secure relationships and even good physical health later in life ( Caspi et al., 2006 ; Danese et al., 2009 ; Holt-Lunstad, 2022 ; Yang et al., 2016 ). Social media platforms offer a means of social connection. By using these platforms, adolescents can easily connect with friends, classmates, and acquaintances, allowing them to maintain relationships, expand their social networks, and stay connected even when physically apart. It is not clear the extent to which social media use fosters real social connection, however. A meta-analysis of cross-sectional data found weak but positive associations between social media use and loneliness ( Zhang et al., 2022 ). This association may differ across ages. A survey exploring the relationship between social media use and loneliness in four countries found that, during the COVID-19 pandemic, frequent social media use was associated with greater levels of loneliness among young adults, 1 though this correlation could be related to a circular relationship with social media use and other isolating mental health problems ( Bonsaksen et al., 2021 ). Further, social interactions are not always positive and doing so online is no exception ( Brooks and Dunkel Schetter, 2011 ; Holt-Lunstad and Uchino, 2019 ).

Social media can also provide a space for self-expression. Teens can express their identities, share their thoughts, and showcase their creativity through posts, photos, videos, and stories. This enables them to shape their online personas and receive validation and feedback from others—feedback that can be kind or hurtful. Additionally, social media can be used as a means to fulfill a need for belonging. Adolescents often seek acceptance and validation from their peers, and social media platforms offer communities where they can find like-minded individuals who share similar interests, values, or experiences. Furthermore, social media is a source of entertainment for adolescents that can be used to share funny videos, memes, music tailored to their interests, and more. Adolescents can find news, educational content, and discussions on various topics of interest on social media, thereby staying up to date on current events and global issues.

Understanding why youth use social media can help us understand how to tap into mechanisms to maximize their potential benefits. These reasons include learning, entertainment, relaxation, connection, stress relief, and a normal adolescent tendency to seek out varied and novel experiences ( Anderson et al., 2022 ; Hancock et al., 2022 ). Social media can provide a window to cultural experiences and information and, most obviously, a venue to socialize. Social media can foster positive emotions, as would happen for a young person using the platforms to connect with grandparents who live far away; it can also be used to avoid negative feelings, as might happen when someone watches a funny video or an online music lesson to take their mind off a bad day at school ( Cauberghe et al., 2021 ). At the center of these experiences are the use of coping strategies, some healthier than others. Although avoidance and escape are not always undesirable, the healthier strategies (e.g., seeking social support) may account for some people having a more positive experience on the platforms than others.

Social Capital and Social Connectedness

One of the most obvious potential benefits of social media is its power to connect friends and family. Adolescents report communication with family and friends as the most common and important functions of using social media ( Allen et al., 2014 ). Indeed, adolescents who take a positive view of social media attribute this firstly to the social connectedness and interactions the platforms allow ( Anderson et al., 2022 ). Qualitative research among young adults suggested that online interactions offer a controllable and accessible way to maintain relationships, especially valuable for maintaining ties to friends and family who live far away ( Scott et al., 2022 ). Some researchers have suggested that the social media affordances for direct, active exchanges with other users, so-called active use, allow for more positive effects on well-being than what is described as passive use, meaning scrolling or consuming the information without contributing, though such patterns may depend on the viewer’s mindset ( Beyens et al., 2020 ). (That is, passive scrolling through a friend’s photos could also bring someone happiness, depending on the person and their attitude toward what they are viewing.) More recent work has questioned the validity of the active use–passive use dichotomy, however ( Valkenburg et al., 2021 ). Use of social media in real life is invariably a mix of active and passive features that are difficult to disentangle experimentally or conceptually ( Valkenburg et al., 2021 ).

Adolescents use social media to maintain friendships and explore their identity, both central developmental tasks for their age ( Uhls et al., 2017 ). It is not clear if online and offline friendships are necessarily equivalent. But friendship in general is important to building a sense of social connectedness, a feeling of connection with other people that encompasses feeling cared for and belonging ( Bowins, 2021 ). Friendship is valuable in its own right, it also promotes life satisfaction and reduces anxiety ( Zhou and Cheng, 2022 ). In experimental settings, messaging with a friend has been shown to be a valuable means of stress reduction for adolescents ( Yau et al., 2021 ).

The use of social media for connectedness may benefit family relationships as well. Survey research among Italian parents who use social media to communicate with teenage children suggests that platforms can be used for wider and more open communication among family members ( Procentese et al., 2019 ). Of course, much of this effect depends on baseline functioning in the family unit. Longitudinal research has identified parental warmth as a protective influence that prevents teens from experiencing mental health difficulties and being involved in cyberbullying ( Stockdale et al., 2018 ). Among children in foster care, for example, for whom the loss and separation from their natal families may be especially painful, some experts have proposed social media may help maintain positive relationships and emotional health ( Castles, 2015 ). For this reason, guidance from the Administration for Children and Families encourages foster parents to help children use social media to maintain a sense of normalcy and important relationships, while at the same time discussing privacy and discretion with the young people to ensure their experience is productive ( Child Welfare Information Gateway, 2022 ).

Maintaining social connections is associated with better well-being ( Jordan, 2023 ). Social media may contribute by building social capital, the tangible and intangible resources available to people through their social networks. Research among undergraduates has found that high levels of interaction on Facebook are associated with higher levels of bridging relationships between people who are not close friends, who can share new perspectives and information ( Ellison et al., 2014 ). A cross-sectional study among undergraduates found that people who use social media to connect with a diverse friend group also tend to have higher social self-efficacy (a perceived capability to navigate social situations and make friends), though it is not clear if social media builds this self-efficacy or if more confident people simply have a larger online friend group ( Kim et al., 2020 ). More recent pooled analyses have found that social networking can benefit its users through strengthening weak ties or transitioning an acquaintance into a friend ( Ahmad et al., 2023 ; Liu et al., 2016 ).

Instrumental Support

The social connections that young people build online can translate into instrumental support, a type of assistance that helps people meet tangible needs ( Schultz et al., 2022 ). By providing a means to network, for example, social media can help teens build social capital that can be leveraged to find jobs and other opportunities, something that can be useful to young people as they seek out internships and other work and to find a place in their wider community ( Garg and Pahuja, 2020 ; Steinfield et al., 2008 ). Employers may use social media to vet job candidates, for example ( Grensing-Pophal, 2023 ).

Some research suggests the use of social media to signal academic or creative interests, ask for advice, and network can be useful skills for teenagers ( Ching et al., 2018 ). Social media has been used in programs to link high-school seniors from underrepresented ethnic groups to academic and career mentors ( Schwartz et al., 2016 ). A recent review found instrumental support to be relatively common among adolescents on social media ( Odgers and Jensen, 2020 ). When facing challenges ranging from teen motherhood to becoming a first-generation college student, research finds informational support and helping behaviors (i.e., sharing advice and information) to be common in online social interactions ( Odgers and Jensen, 2020 ; Sherman and Greenfield, 2013 ; Wohn et al., 2013 ).

Combating Isolation

Social media can be valuable to adolescents who otherwise may feel excluded or lack offline support, including patients with rare diseases or disabilities, and those who struggle with obesity or mental illness, or come from marginalized groups such as LGBTQ+ young people ( Chassiakos et al., 2016 ). By offering a means to connect with people in the same position, social media can reduce stigma and be a venue for sharing coping strategies.

Social media can allow neurodiverse teens, for example, a way to connect socially with others that is manageable for them, thereby reducing feelings of loneliness ( Sallafranque-St-Louis and Normand, 2017 ). Qualitative research among adolescents with autism spectrum disorder indicates that the removal of body language cues that can be difficult for people with autism to interpret make social media an enjoyable venue for them ( Jedrzejewska and Dewey, 2022 ).

While the use of internet technology to ease loneliness has had mixed success more broadly ( Bonsaksen et al., 2021 ; Gheorghe and Stănculescu, 2021 ), it can help ease loneliness in certain circumstances. In social media, LGBTQ+ adolescents living in rural areas sometimes find support that they may not have in their offline world ( Escobar-Viera et al., 2022 ). LGBTQ+ youth also report benefits from connecting with other queer youth online and establishing support systems ( Berger et al., 2022 ; Han et al., 2019 ; Selkie et al., 2020 ). A similar pattern may be at work among young people in foster care, for whom social media and gaming are a welcome tool to make and maintain relationships in the face of frequent disrupting changes to their living space ( Gustavsson and MacEachron, 2015 ; Sage and Jackson, 2022 ).

Social media can help adolescents cope with grief and bereavement offering the opportunity to connect with people who have experienced a similar loss ( Sofka, 2017 ). The same is true for young people navigating isolating illnesses. Social media groups for various health conditions including cancer, diabetes, and rare diseases provide a way for patients to come together and support each other ( Chou and Moskowitz, 2016 ; Daniels et al., 2021 ; Househ et al., 2014 ; Malik et al., 2019 ). For people suffering from serious mental illness, the support of peers online is especially valuable, especially peers who can relate to the challenges of coping with mental health problems ( Naslund et al., 2016 ).

Much of the concern about the harms of social media revolve around its capacity for displacement, including the displacement of in-person socializing ( Twenge, 2020 ). Yet survey data suggest that this may vary by socioeconomic status. Teens from lower-income groups are less likely to interact with friends in their homes or outside of school and tend to put strong value on the friendships they make online, through gaming for example, even though these friends are not necessarily people whom they know offline ( Lenhart et al., 2015 ).

Moreover, socializing in person is not always possible. Physical isolation is a source of loneliness that social media can counter. During the peak physical distancing requirements of the COVID-19 pandemic, social media became the only venue many young people had to connect with their friends ( Kurz and Jahng, 2022 ). Even as pandemic-era distancing requirements ease, infrequent in-person time with friends is a fact of life for many adolescents. Driving and car ownership are relatively more expensive to young people today than they were in past generations, and most of the United States is poorly served by public transit, limiting young people’s mobility and ability to socialize in person with people who are not close neighbors ( Kurz and Jahng, 2022 ).

At its most extreme end, isolation and related mental health problems can manifest in suicidal thoughts and self-harm. Some evidence indicates that supportive online communities can decrease risk of suicidal ideation and improve well-being ( De Choudhury and Kıcıman, 2017 ). As social networking allows users an easy way to communicate with a large pool of people, the sites can provide someone in distress with valuable emotional support, especially to people who use the sites actively and frequently ( De Choudhury and Kıcıman, 2017 ; Liu et al., 2016 ). Intervention studies have found that artificial intelligence can analyze social media data to predict some online behaviors that may indicate suicidical ideation ( Lekkas et al., 2021 ).

Qualitative research indicates that adolescents value social media for its ability to expose them to the world and support their education ( Shankleman et al., 2021 ). A 15-country cross-sectional survey of more than 100,000 15-year-olds found that, in western countries, social media use predicts a greater ability for reading and navigating information online ( Chen et al., 2021 ). Social media can facilitate processes that have always been part of schooling such as studying together and sharing homework strategies ( Hadjipanayis et al., 2019 ). Other processes are relatively new and more unique to teens.

The concept of a media ecology, referring to both the technology that facilitates media access and its influence on human culture, ideas, and politics, is important to understanding why learning on social media is important for adolescents ( Milberry, 2012 ). The separation of formal and informal learning is not always clear in the new media ecology. Survey research among middle school students has found social media forums to be useful in collaboration on science and engineering projects, which may be part of an iterative, collaborative learning process ( Won et al., 2015 ). A mixed methods study 2 of 12 to 14 year olds in Spain found that the informal learning characteristic of social media empowers young people and increases self-motivation for learning ( Gil Quintana and Osuna-Acedo, 2020 ).

An intense engagement with new media in the service of acquiring more expertise about a niche interest, sometimes described as geeking out, is an important dimension of learning for young people ( Ito et al., 2010 ). The types of learning often characterized as geeking out tend toward parallel exploration of a topic with friends and mediated by technology, with knowledge-building becoming difficult to separate from broader youth culture ( Ito et al., 2010 ).

Writing Skills

Adolescents tend to use social media for both classroom exercises and supplemental assignments ( Galvin and Greenhow, 2020 ). A recent narrative review found that use of social media for academic writing has been associated with less writing anxiety and a great sense of agency for the students to write about topics important to them ( Galvin and Greenhow, 2020 ).

This sense of agency may be most evident in fanfiction, the long-form writing genre wherein amateur writers imagine different story lines for characters known from other art forms. There are millions of registered users on the online hub fanfiction.net ; they upload thousands of stories every day ( Evans et al., 2017 ). Online fanfiction communities can be important for informal learning, a place for young people to build literacy skills and support the same skills in others, all while building supportive social connections ( Shang et al., 2021 ). The more engaging topics can help draw in young people who may feel restricted by academic composition classes ( Galvin and Greenhow, 2020 ). In the United States, speakers of other languages may also use fanfiction as a way to hone their English skills and socialize at the same time ( Black, 2008 ).

Fanfiction can help cultivate writing skills and has also fostered the emergence of a type of coaching called distributed mentoring (see Box 3-1 ) ( Evans et al., 2016 ; Froelich et al., 2021 ). Participants in fanfiction communities engage as both writers and coaches, learning about writing and about how to give and receive mentorship ( Aragon and Davis, 2019 ; Evans et al., 2016 ). Qualitative research among fanfiction writers suggests that the experience of the fanfiction community, particularly the mentorship, gave them both the skills and the confidence needed for success in higher education ( Aragon and Davis, 2019 ; Evans et al., 2016 ).

Seven Characteristics of Distributed Mentoring in Fanfiction Communities.

Online networks for shared hobbies, interests, or identities can also be important for young people. Affinity networks can provide coaching and support for a range of interests including reading, music, crafts and creative arts, and games ( Ito et al., 2019 ). No matter how niche the interest may be, the scope of the internet almost guarantees that people can connect, across distance and other barriers, with other people to support their skills and help them grow.

Self-Expression and Independence

Forming a coherent sense of self and identity are core tasks of adolescent development. In the second decade of life, adolescents define themselves and change their relationship with their parents and other adults. Social media can aid the task, affording young people a place to explore their identity and shape their sense of self ( Spies Shapiro and Margolin, 2014 ).

Parents may attempt to monitor their children on social media. A 2016 Pew Research survey found that 60 percent of parents check their children’s social media profiles and about the same percentage check their browsing history ( Anderson, 2016 ). A more recent Pew survey found that only 28 percent friend or follow their child on social media ( Auxier et al., 2020 ). But young people can still seek out privacy and a separate space to experiment with identity online. The Instagram affordances such as photo filters and asynchronicity, for example, tend to encourage the presentation of a carefully curated, public persona ( Kanchinadam et al., 2018 ). Teens may supplement this account with a secondary account for close friends, that presents far less performative content ( Kanchinadam et al., 2018 ). Even within the same platform, teens can experiment with different identities and different levels of privacy.

Teens often report using social media to share information about oneself, one’s environment, and one’s social life and connections, with part of this experience involving feedback on this presentation from others ( Márquez et al., 2022 ; Yau and Reich, 2019 ). A relatively long-standing body of research indicates that this self-presentation and exploring of identity is an important part of adolescence that social media can support ( Moreno and Uhls, 2019 ; Subrahmanyam and Šmahel, 2011 ; Valkenburg et al., 2005 ). Qualitative research finds that many young people, especially cisgender girls, are meticulous in selecting which platform or account to post to, editing pictures, monitoring comments and likes, and removing posts when not viewed favorably by peers ( Bell, 2019 ; Yau and Reich, 2019 ). A similarly developmentally appropriate interest in self-presentation is part of avatar personalization and one that gay, lesbian, and transgender teens may put more emphasis on ( Morgan et al., 2020 ).

Encouraging Creativity

Social media can be a venue to exhibit different forms of expression, such as in fanfiction and affinity groups discussed earlier. Qualitative research also reveals that teens use different platforms for different ends, with some platforms being used only for watching videos and others only for communicating with close friends ( Anderson et al., 2022 ). Some platforms are also important creative outlets. A 2022 survey found that seven out of ten teenagers see social media as a place where they can express their creative side ( Anderson et al., 2022 ). For Black and Hispanic teens, this appears to be an even more valued feature of social media, with 75 and 73 percent of Black and Hispanic teens respectively citing the value of social media as a creative forum ( Anderson et al., 2022 ).

Teens’ use of social media can support their creativity, especially when the platform has affordances for ownership, association, and visibility ( Vilarinho-Pereira et al., 2021 ). As with many of the benefits and risks of social media, the value of a creative outlet may be more pronounced for different personality types. Teens who are more extraverted, open to experience, and lower in neuroticism reported more creative activity online ( Pérez-Fuentes et al., 2019 ). Research among adults suggests that using social media for authentic self-expression, rather than for presenting a curated persona, predicts greater life satisfaction and well-being; the same may be true for adolescents ( Bailey et al., 2020 ).

A 2016 study including teenagers in 8 countries found that creative expression on social media runs from casual to expert forms, with the highly skilled forms sometimes being marketable and a source of income (see Table 3-1 ). During the COVID-19 pandemic, social media helped some teens grow their creativity, expanding their circle of like-minded friends and providing interested young people with an outlet for personal growth ( Zaeske et al., 2022 ).

Types of Creative Production on Social Media.

Empowerment and Civic Engagement

Social media is a vehicle to harness the political and social power of young people and has facilitated some powerful social movements over the last two decades ( Baskin-Sommers et al., 2021 ; Daiute, 2018 ). Social media provides a quick, convenient way to learn about and discuss current events. The social connectedness and community building discussed earlier in this chapter also have ramifications for offline civic activity. The Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg, for example, has used social media to exponentially expand her reach, informing adolescents around the world about a school strike for climate change, which eventually grew into a global environmental movement ( Kurz and Jahng, 2022 ). For Greta Thunberg and other young people at the center of social movements, social media is likely an enhancing factor for their activist work and not the explanation for it ( Fullam, 2017 ).

The same capacity for mass dissemination of information that makes the internet useful for education also influences young people’s point of view. A 2018 Pew survey found that roughly two-thirds of teens aged 13 to 18 used social media to learn about different points of view or show their support for causes ( Anderson and Jiang, 2018 ). At the same time, only a minority of youth (<10 percent) in both the Pew 2018 and 2022 samples reported using social media to post about politics ( Anderson and Jiang, 2018 ; Anderson et al., 2022 ).

In qualitative studies, youth report being more aware of social and political events due to social media ( Common Sense Media, 2019 ). Research among 11- to 15-year-old participants in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study found that 30 percent of respondents used social media to engage with the Black Lives Matter movement ( Baskin-Sommers et al., 2021 ).

Some researchers have proposed that the increased access to news and information through social media leads to conversations offline and to feelings of civic involvement ( Lenzi et al., 2015 ). This effect is not limited to the United States. UNICEF data suggest that between 43 and 64 percent of children and teens in 11 countries look for news online, and that young people who engage in political discussions online are more likely to participate in the political process offline ( Cho et al., 2020 ). Like the Pew reports, UNICEF data offer no evidence that young people participate in superficial or ostentatious political posting (so-called clicktivism or hashtag activism) ( Cho et al., 2020 ). On the contrary, Pew investigators found that only 7 percent of sample teens used hashtags related to political or social issues, 10 percent used social media to encourage their friends to take part in political or social causes ( Anderson et al., 2022 ).

Civic involvement and social cohesion can be meaningful ends related to social media use, valuable both to adolescents and to society. That said, increased political involvement is not always positive. Social media has been cited as a source of political polarization, rife with partisanship and incivility, though such climates vary among different platforms ( Ferguson, 2021 ; Oden and Porter, 2023 ). It is difficult to say if a heightened hostility to opposing political views is a function of social media use or if social media is simply reflecting a broader cultural change. Some scholars have proposed that platforms built around offline friendship may have a mix of affordances that increase polarization, while groups built around shared interests may work counter to it ( Literat and Kligler-Vilenchik, 2021 ). Political polarization and the normalization of fringe viewpoints, like many of the topics reviewed in this chapter, can be amorphous and hard to measure. Similar problems abound in measuring the direct health effects of social media use, as the next chapter will discuss.

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Using participatory workshops, interviews, self-report in a diary, and observation.

Cite this Page National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; Health and Medicine Division; Board on Population Health and Public Health Practice; Committee on the Impact of Social Media on Adolescent Health; Wojtowicz A, Buckley GJ, Galea S, editors. Social Media and Adolescent Health. Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US); 2024 Mar 25. 3, Potential Benefits of Social Media.
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500 Words Essay on Effect Of Social Media On Youth Introduction. Social media is a tool that has become a part of our everyday lives. It is like a digital meeting place where people from all corners of the world can connect and share ideas. It has a strong influence on the youth of today. This essay will explore the effects of social media on ...
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synthesis essay, we explore the impact of social media on youth. By examining various perspectives and examples, we aim to gain a deeper understanding of the opportunities and challenges that social media presents for young individuals in today's digital age. Body: Paragraph 1: The Benefits of Social Media for Youth Empowerment and Connectivity
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Mar 25, 2024 · One of the tasks of this report is to summarize the effect of social media on adolescents and children, including its influence on their education, social development, and family dynamics. Full understanding of these effects involves consideration not only of the harms of social media (the topic of much of the existing research presented in the next chapter), but to explore its potential benefits.
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