What Social Media Is Really Doing to Young Minds

As we can see in this generation social media has taken over, it has both negative and positive sides on human but the major one we are talking about here is how it affects our teenagers, sometimes I wonder what social media has turn to because children of this generation are addicted to it, I always see teenagers pressing their phones in church, walking on the road and pressing their phones even sleep late at night because of social media but this has it positive and negative impacts on our teenagers.

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To be honest, social media has really changed a lot of things. Some of the changes are good, teenagers today are more exposed than we were. They know so many things. You will hear them talking about mental health, gender, politics, business, and so on. Some of them are even making money online. Some are building brands at 16. That one I can’t deny that social media has opened their eyes.

One of the things that worries me is how social media is making many teenagers feel about themselves. It’s like they are always comparing. If someone posts a new phone, they feel like they are poor.

Most times I feel like social media is creating a fake standard, Most children now live for social media, they want to belong and prove classy online, they can go the extra mile just to act a certain way to be accepted, they are no longer living for themselves. They live for what others will say or how many people will like their posts and when those reactions don’t come, they start feeling depressed or anxious.

Then there is the laziness that comes with it. I won’t lie, many teenagers now are depending on social media for everything. They don’t put in personal effort again. Before, if you didn’t understand something, you would read, ask questions, and try different methods. Now, they just search for it or watch a short video. If it’s not easy or fast, they give up. They are used to shortcuts now. They want everything sharp sharp.

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And sadly, even relationships are suffering. Teenagers now prefer online friendships. Some don’t know how to hold real-life conversations. They hide behind chats and emojis. Some even say they feel more free online than in person. That’s not normal. That’s not how life should be. There is more to life than the internet.

But I won’t pretend like social media is all bad. It’s not. Teenagers are doing amazing things with it. Some are raising awareness on serious issues. Some are finding support groups that help their mental health. Some are learning skills and starting small businesses. I’ve seen all these things too, and I respect them for it.

What I just believe is that there should be a balance. Teenagers should not allow social media to control them. They should not allow it to decide how they see themselves or what they believe. They need to know that not everything online is true, because if our teenagers are not careful, social media may cause more harm than good for them, they are supposed to grow not limiting themselves to what social media provides.

This is my response to this week's episode of #smp community prompt of #smp-w23

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