Alexander Tingling
Professor Castagnozzi
English 170
22 April 2025
The Impact of Social Media on Teenagers
Many people agree that social media is important in everyone’s lives. It is the digital world where people can build relationships, share information, and stay connected with friends, family, and even strangers. It can also be used to learn about current news and events worldwide. While social media is very important to people and brings us many great things, there are, however, many downsides to using it. The many downsides can be found mostly in teenagers and can have the most effect on them. When teenagers use social media, they usually enjoy connecting with their friends via self-expression and having access to information on the internet. However, many teenagers don’t know everything about social media and how to use it responsibly. There are so many negative downsides to social media, such as mental, physical, and emotional health issues that can affect teenagers and can have a huge impact on their lives, that people, especially parents, should investigate more because it can negatively affect their view of the world when they are older.
One downside to teenagers using social media is that it can have a big impact on their mental health. Studies show that higher levels of social media use can start to make teenagers develop mental health issues or worsen their current mental health issues, which can affect them emotionally. This can be the case when people start to grow a fear of missing out on many things in life. When teenagers check their friends and family through social media, they start to feel they are missing out on something. They would start to feel envious and feel as though they aren’t living as well as the person they see on social media. According to an article from Cultivating Health, “44% of internet users in the U.S. experienced online harassment,” which can impact their mental health and can leave them with long-lasting emotional scars (Cultivating Health 3). This article shows that social media can be a serious issue for teenagers with long-lasting emotional and psychological consequences. As social media continues to grow, this problem becomes even more critical. According to social media and FOMO, teenagers who feel this fear of missing out would view social media as an extension of themselves, “in some cases to the point that their social media identity becomes the most important concept of self.” (Cultivating Health 3) The article explains that teenagers who experience fear of missing out will often intertwine their self-identity with social media, leading to a reliance on online validation for self-worth.
Another downside to teenagers using social media is that it makes them start to develop insecurities about themselves. When people use social media, they are usually exposed to influencers about who they are and how they live their lives. They usually see the wellness, body image, and food of the influencers. When teenagers see this, they usually want to live the lifestyle of these influencers, which can make them feel insecure about themselves. When teenagers feel this way, they can start to develop many health problems, such as eating disorders. Teenagers using social media can see content that can encourage habits tied to eating disorders. An article from a medical school at Yale University called “How Social Media Affects Your Teen’s Mental Health” discusses the mental health concerns associated with social media use among teenagers (Yale Medicine 1). The article states:
A review of 50 studies across 17 countries between 2016 and 2021, published in PLOS Global Public Health, suggested that relentless online exposure to largely unattainable physical ideals may trigger a distorted sense of self and eating disorders. This is a particular problem among girls (Yale Medicine 1).
This article brings up the fact that social media usage among teenagers can negatively influence their body image and lead to insecurity within themselves, dissatisfaction, and the growth of eating disorders. It shows the idea that constant exposure to unrealistic body standards on social media can lead to many physical and mental health issues among teenagers.
Another reason why social media can impact teenagers’ lives is that it can affect their physical health and well-being. When teenagers start using social media a lot, it can start to affect their sleep habits for the worse. Teenagers always use technology every day, which can change their normal time to sleep time. Most electronic devices have a short-wavelength blue light, which can manipulate your body into believing that it is daytime and that you don’t need to sleep. The more time someone spends looking at their screen, the less melatonin their body produces. In an article called “Understanding the Impact of Social Media on Youth Mental Health, the Sleep Foundation,” acknowledges the many impacts social media can have on teenagers. According to the Sleep Foundation, “Two out of three teenagers get less sleep than the amount they need because they are always on social media”(Rachel’s Challenge 2). The author describes the fact that teenagers using social media all day can majorly affect their sleep and physical health, which can greatly impact their lives. This shows the physical health issues that social media can bring to teenagers that parents should look into more since this can affect their teenage children in the future of their lives.
Not only can social media affect teenagers’ sleep health, but it can also affect their diet health. Social media platforms often promote unrealistic beauty standards. For example, they would show lean bodies and start idealizing them. These would likely push adolescents into unhealthy dieting and excessive exercise. They would also contribute to developing self-esteem issues and self-hatred. A study based on TikTok called “The Use of TikTok among Children and Adolescents with Eating Disorders,” found that people diagnosed with eating disorders. It was reported that “those participants found anorexia nervosa, termed Pro-Ana, and Bulima nervosa, termed Pro-mia, content frequently without actively searching”(Nawaz, Faisal A. 6). This type of content can serve to more fear and stress for teenagers who are already struggling with eating disorders.
Some people may argue that social media can have a good impact on teenagers’ physical health. Some say that they would start to love and accept their bodies for what they are, even more so because of social media. Many trends on social media promote self-acceptance by showcasing unedited and diverse body types, which challenge unrealistic beauty standards. This trend was called the body-positive movement. Although this trend can bring many positive things to teenagers, it can still have many negative impacts on teenagers that can heavily affect their lives. According to the article, “The Use of TikTok among Children,” some studies have shown that exposure to content like this to teenagers can be “linked to a higher level of self-objectification” for them (Nawaz 6). The article brings up that
Body-positive content emphasizes accepting various body appearances and shapes that are unique to each individual. However, as the focus is still on the body, self-objectification is expected to increase, especially in women. In addition, cultural pressures, as seen in many Western societies, have contributed to women viewing themselves as “objects”. This eventually hurts physical and emotional well-being.
The author of the article explains that body-positive movement content can lead to self-objectification of teenagers, which can eventually lead to a negative impact on physical and emotional well-being on them. While body-positive content aims to challenge beauty norms, its focus on appearance may unintentionally contribute to the objectification of people.
Another negative impact social media can have on teenagers is that it can start to make them grow depressed. When teenagers start to use social media a lot, they can start to develop depression and anxiety. One of the reasons they feel this way is because of cyberbullying. Teenagers can experience cyberbullying when they are being harassed and mistreated online (Pediatrics 4). Social media can be a place for harassment, lies, and abuse for teenagers. This can have an impact on their self-esteem and mental health as teenagers. One type of depression that they can go through because of these issues is called “Facebook Depression.” This is a type of depression that teenagers can develop when they are on social media for too long (Pediatrics 4). According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, teenagers start to feel the symptoms of depression because of the excessive use of social media. The American Academy of Pediatrics also points out that
As with offline depression, preadolescents and adolescents who suffer from Facebook depression are at risk for social isolation and sometimes turn to risky Internet sites and blogs for “help” that may promote substance abuse, unsafe sexual practices, or aggressive or self-destructive behaviors.
The author is telling us that social media can lead teens to dangerous risks to their emotional control and could expose them to risky behaviors.
Social media can have a negative impact since it can affect the personality traits of teenagers with their social behavior. Teenagers consistently on social media can become more outgoing and confident on the internet, however, this isn’t always the case for real-life interactions. If they spend too much time on social media, they could avoid interacting with people in real life. They might prefer to communicate with other people on social media or through text messages. This can make teenagers feel less comfortable in in-person social situations and lower their ability to interact confidently with other people in the real world. This would be a problem because real-life interaction is something everyone needs and teenagers struggle to socially interact with other people can affect them drastically in the future of their lives. A journal written by Seo, Hyunjin, Brian Houston, Leigh Anne Taylor Knight, Emily J Kennedy, and Alexander B Inglish called New Media and Society examines a report that teenagers have negative self-esteem and are becoming more emotionally unstable when engaging in social media or social networking sites. The journal brings up that
adolescents reporting negative collective self-esteem tended to seek a form of virtual companionship or social compensation through engaging in social networking sites. This can be explained from the perspective of social identity gratifications, which emphasizes opportunities to identify with in-group members who look and act similarly to each other, as well as to compare themselves to out-group members(Seo Hyunjin 5).
The author of this journal tries to explain that teens can start to use social media too much, and it can start to shape their personality and social behavior. Teenagers should start balancing their time with their online interactions with people and their real-life interactions with people.
Overall, social media can have a huge impact on teenagers’ lives. While social media can bring many benefits to teenagers, it still has a lot of potential risks that can’t be ignored. Without parents giving their teenage children proper guidance and awareness, they may face many negative consequences that can affect them drastically later in their adult lives. Without this awareness, this could also potentially put their children in danger with life-changing consequences. Therefore, it is crucial and very important for parents, teachers, and teenagers themselves to recognize these downsides and take action to ensure that social media is used responsibly and positively. Parents can set time limits and boundaries, so teenagers won’t spend too much time on social media. Teachers can bring awareness to the downsides of social media and teach them how to use it responsibly. Teenagers should think more critically about what they do when they are on social media, while also thinking more about what they post, see, and say online. This will minimize its harmful effects while maximizing its benefits. Social media is something that will be in almost every teenager’s life, and it is important that they can enjoy the benefits of it in a balanced and constructive way.
Works Cited
Katella, Kathy. “How Social Media Affects Your Teen’s Mental Health: A Parent’s Guide.” Yale Medicine, Yale Medicine, 17 June 2024, https://www.yalemedicine.org/news/social-media-teen-mental-health-a-parents-guide Accessed 12 Feb. 2025
Kristi. “Understanding the Impact of Social Media on Youth Mental Health.” Rachel’s Challenge, 24 May 2024 https://rachelschallenge.org/blog/impact-of-social-media-on-youth-mental Accessed 17 Feb. 2025
Cultivating Health. “Social media’s impact on our mental health and tips to use it safely” Mental Health Impacts, 27 Nov. 2024 https://health.ucdavis.edu/blog/cultivating-health/social-medias-impact-our-mental-health-and-tips-to-use-it-safely/2024/05 Accessed 15 Feb. 2025
O’Keeffe, Gwenn Schurgin, and Kathleen Clarke-Pearson. “The impact of social media on children, adolescents, and families.” Pediatrics, vol. 127, no. 4, 1 Apr. 2011, pp. 800–804, https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2011-0054 Accessed 19 Feb. 2025
Seo, Hyunjin, Brian Houston, Leigh Anne Taylor Knight, Emily J Kennedy, Alexander B Inglish. “Teens’ social media use and collective action.” New Media & Society, vol. 16, no. 6, 3 July 2013, pp. 883–902, https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444813495162 Accessed 18 Feb. 2025
Nawaz, Faisal A, et al. “Social Media Use among Adolescents with Eating Disorders: A Double-Edged Sword.” Frontiers in Psychiatry, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 9 Feb. 2024, pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10884122/#:~:text=Social%20media%20platforms%20often%20promote,self%2Dhatred%20(13) Accessed 12 March 2025.