Effects of Social Media on the Menatl Health of Teenagers Essay (Essay Sample)

Name:
Tutor:
Course:
Date:
Impact of Increased Social Media Usage on the Mental Health of Teenagers
Social media has advanced rapidly over the years with companies such as Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter amassing mammoth followers and subscribers. A majority of these followers are teenagers who spend a substantial amount of their daily time online. Social media has numerous benefits to its users including the freedom to interact freely on the vast networks they provide. However, it is also responsible for the destructive vices that it builds on young minds. Therefore, the notion that social media can cause symptoms of depression and anxiety is true, especially in teenagers that spend more time on these sites.
Firstly, spending more time on social media may result in cyberbullying. Cyberbullying involves the sharing of negative, false, or mean content about another individual that may be offensive to them. These posts result in persistent and sometimes permanent negative implications on the life of an affected teenager (Twenge, Joiner and Rogers 6). The internet has been awash with several cases of teenagers that have committed suicide after constant bullying online. Thus, a teen with constant bombardment with such negative information tends to develop signs of depression ultimately. If left unchecked, it may have severe consequences on the life of the affected teenager, both physically and emotionally.