Like two faces of a coin, social media has its own pros and cons. Where on one hand it brings brings the world together on the same page, on the other hand it also influences the tender minds of teens.
Social media is responsible for affecting the mental health of teenagers. The level of effect, according to research, seems to go up as the usage goes up. Their level of contentment can decrease, and the chances of their getting into trouble or being depressed can increase. Also, those teens who use social networking sites tend to be more narcissistic, antisocial and and aggressive.
Cyberbullying is also a major problem and can lead to the victims experiencing depression and anxiety. Cyberbullying has also been the cause of many suicides in young people.
It is bad enough that there are adolescents who are victims of negative comments by peers, but many are victimised by strangers as well. Many young online users are lured by online sexual predators.
Because of the adolescents and their parents being concerned and aware about the above mentioned risks, more teens care about privacy issues. One problem concerning privacy issues is that many adolescents are unaware of the privacy policies on the social media websites they use.
Many adolescents are influenced by the powerful advertisements they see on social media sites, and they strongly influence their buying habits.
Social media should be used in moderation. Studies have shown that adolescents and even college students who use social networking sites too much have lower grades.