Does Social Media Harm Young People’s Mental Health? That’s an easy yes whether anyone wants to believe it or not.
While social media, phones, and other tech devices have helped the world a great deal, we can’t deny that tech is also a problem. There are 5-10-year-olds with access to the latest technology such as the iPhone 15 Max, the IPad Pro, and the AirPod Pro Maxs, and children and adults alike are being brainwashed into thinking this is okay. Parents think just because their daughter/son/stepson/stepdaughter seems quiet and happy, then they can just give them what they want. We see YouTube, TikTok, Discord, Snapchat and many other apps as funny, entertaining getaways. Social media may be a great way to cure boredom, but as we all know, too much media can cause some very serious mental health issues. Feeding our brains a steady diet of all the stupidity the internet has to offer is mentally draining us. Teenagers nowadays love their phones so much it’s like an addiction. If they don’t feel their phone in their pocket or anywhere on them they have a heart attack, and this is a major problem. I have seen students 16-17 years of age yell and scream at teachers because the teacher took their phone or Airpods.
Can technology cause even more serious problems? Yes. Along with nudity and just plain stupidity, the internet is also full of hate and harassment. With all the texting apps and dating apps, bad actors can easily find out a target’s actual contact information and stalk them, or worse. Further, people online do not care about protecting your feelings. No matter how strong someone is, we all have feelings; therefore, the things you do or say to a person can destroy them whether you’re “joking” or not. According to Wikipedia, each year over 100,000 teenagers who have problems at home, school, or within themselves, commit suicide. The last thing these teens suffering from self-hatred and depression need is cyberbullying. Teenagers use technology to bully other teenagers to the breaking point, choosing to ignore the fact that many people have lost friends or family due to suicide caused by cyberbullying.
When you’re a teenager what is your mind mostly focused on? Technology. We don’t know when to stop. We don’t know when to just put it down. We don’t know how to just take a break from social media. How does society solve this problem? Be smart about technology. Part of the answer is to have more restrictions, verifications, and age limits. Nowadays it is way too easy to access something you should not be accessing; sites that are meant for adults should only be accessible to adults. Teens and younger children should be careful what they watch or listen to, and avoid talking to people they don’t personally know.
Everywhere we turn there will always be technology. Because it is everywhere, because it’s become so popular, so widespread, and so addictive, some people CANNOT put the phone or the tablet down. Technology needs to be controlled for future generations–do you want your kids’ heads drowned into a screen to the point of illness? I don’t.
