What is the true impact of social media on teens?

With technology being a prominent character in most people’s lives, big social media platforms like TikTok and Snapchat consume most of our

screen time, and many teens spend countless hours browsing their phones.

Growing up in a world of social media has greatly impacted today’s teenagers. Adults that grew up before smartphones and social media platforms lived their teenage years drastically different from teens now.

Milford class of 2022 graduate Faith Scarcelli stated, “My childhood would have been very different if technology was as big as it is now.” Scarcelli noticed how differently her younger cousin’s childhood is now compared to hers.

“She’s grown up with advanced technology and social media at her fingertips. If I had the same access when I was younger then I could have grown into a completely different person,” Scarcelli explained.

With said technology being available to all users, some may question whether this technology should be limited for younger teens and tweens. The average age for a kid to get a smartphone is around 12-13.

However, many kids have begun to receive them much earlier. The results from a survey by EducationWeek showed the number of kids with phones at the ages of 8-10 nearly doubled from 2015 to 2021.

Kids this young having free access to social media will result in very different childhoods to those who grew up without that access.

IA Sophomore Brooke Stec saw the change in teens and tweens without social media compared to those with. “I have seen many younger middle schoolers or old elementary schoolers use their phones and act like they are high schoolers,” Stec shared.

Sophomore Alexis Remtema agreed with Stec saying, “many kids who had social media when they were in elementary school and early middle school tell me they wish they didn’t have it until later.”

Being a part of the generation that grew up with social media at such a young age, many teens including myself feel that their childhood was taken away from them.

Nothing can really be done to limit younger kids from joining these apps. Even though all social media requires an age restriction, this requirement can easily be bypassed. The overall decision falls to the parents of these kids.

Scarcelli agreed saying, “Certain apps like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter should have age restrictions. Being such big platforms with search bars and content that is endless, parents should play a role to enforce this as well.”

Social media has not only impacted students’ childhoods, but also their performance in school.

Some students become too involved with the media on their phone to put it down when they need to be using that time on other things.

“Sometimes my phone distracts me in the time I’m supposed to be studying or doing homework and social media can be hard to get off of,” Remtema pointed out. Many students procrastinate when they should be focusing on doing their work rather than scrolling through their feed, however, not all students face this issue.

Sophomore Claire Zawada explained, “Personally, I don’t think social media has had a negative effect on my grade unless I spend too much time on it before bed. If it affects how much sleep you’re getting, then it can have a negative impact.”

Newport academy found that, “Social media and teen depression are closely linked.” Teens that use social media are more likely to face depression due to reduced self esteem.

Users of these platforms are likely to compare themselves to other people that use these apps, which results in a decrease in their self esteem.

Along with that, users may be at risk for cyberbullying, tech addiction, and reduced time spent doing healthy activities. “I would go outside more, talk to people more and maybe even read a book, which I haven’t done in years.” Stec added.

Although social media comes with some downsides, there are numerous benefits for users of these platforms. These apps allow a way for people to communicate with peers and friends they may not see every day.

For example, most people have relatives that live far away. Social media is a great way to keep in touch with them, and see what they are up to.

“That’s exactly why social media is so great, it can connect you with your relatives without having to travel to see them,” Stec added.

Alongside that, social media can also allow people to connect with friends from school or sports and even people from vacations or camps far away can stay in touch. These platforms provide an efficient and easy tool to talk with people that are hard to see often.

With technology only being a tap away for all of us, it’s easy to access information and fact check sources. Before social media was a thing, people had to access new information in other ways.

For example, teens nowadays hear about current events and issues within minutes.

Before apps like Twitter and Snapchat, people relied on the radio and newspaper to hear about important news. Gaining access to news has become increasingly more efficient as more and more people take to social media to spread the word.

Enough said: it’s clear that social media plays a huge role in society today. From the way a teen dresses to the things they think and say, it all comes down to one thing — social media.

Whether they have had negative experiences, or positive experiences, the majority of teens use and are affected by social media every day.