Essay Example on This study examines the impact of social media on Teenagers

Abstract This study examines the impact of social media on teenagers of age group between 13 to 19 years and among the youths This research provides a comprehensive review and critique of social media affects that researchers conducted on children and youth and how this affects them mentally emotionally physically and socially Emerging study finds that teenagers going to school or colleges spend a considerable amount of time interacting with friends on social media platform such as Facebook WhatsApp Snapchat etc This paper points out how the use of social networking sites can harm the teenagers psychologically academically and in their day to day social lives Of course media itself is neither god nor bad Rather it is the content of media that affects those who use it more In addition to have negative effects media also has the potential to positively influence teenagers and youth Social media is a common tool that is widely used on every mobile phone with its ease of getting connected to people all over the world Having a Facebook or snapchat account is one of the common things between teenagers and youth with the belief of being connected to friends and family 24 hours Children often imitate their parents as a role model this raise the question whether parents are to be blamed for such a practise Cyberbullying is another most commonly used electronic communication to bully people on social media with attractive and funny mems used by children and youths to make fun of them According to Enough is Enough EIE an organisations that aims safer use of internet for children found that out of about 95 of the children using social media 33 have become victim of cyberbullying 

This paper finds out how we can improve the impact of using social media in children and youth and how parents guardian can play an important role in improving their lives What security measures can be taken to keep the information of children safe by improving privacy policies Literature Review Charlie el At 2007 estimated that students are more likely to use social networking sites nearly 47 of teenagers 12 to 17 years and 69 of adult 18 to 21 years and 20 of adults 18 use them to contact others Impact of social media on the education in children The researchers try to portray that social media sites such as Facebook twitter Snapchat are gaining popularity among youth s as today's youth s are fascinated towards them However there is an argue that weather its use has a negative impact or has a positive impact by helping children to exchange information online Psychological effects of social media on children Out of the five most common forms on social media Instagram is the most damaging according to researchers Instagram Snapchat are the worst for mental mental wellbeing Both the platforms are image focused as it gives a feeling of self consciousness and anxiety within young people said Shirley Cramer chief executive of the Royal Society fir public Health Care Children especially girls like to attract people of opposite gender by posting selfies applying filters and adding attractive captions on their pictures They become furious about how many people liked their photos and what comments are been posted This affects them mentally and many are not able to concentrate on other work as they are more interested in what is going on their social media account And so many children growing up today experience the world as a never ending series of photo shoot for public We are rising our kids to be performers says the author and Journalist Donna Freitas who writes about campus culture 

According to the research by the economists from Sheffield University Bristol the more children spend time chatting on Facebook Snapchat Instagram and other social networking site they feel less happy about their school work the school they attend and their overall social lives They found that spending just an hour on social media in a day reduces the probability of a child being happy by 14 The problem with making comparisons in social media is that people tend to potery themselves in an idealised state said Phillip Powell one of the economists There is an evidence that other people are happier then them after interacting with them online because they tend to post videos and pictures that presents a positive image of them However it is generally acknowledged that social media can have positive impact on children and youth for example enhancing friendship and decreasing loneliness Wood el al 2016 This is of course not a positive impact on them as they need to find happiness and learn to be more active and interactive physically and mentally with their family and siblings instead of keeping their heads into their mobiles and tablets A recent study of Australian teenagers shows that heaviest social media user experience the greatest amount of anxiety related to FOMO Fear of Missing Out