Social Media Effect on Young People
Exposure to technology that allows children to access social media sites continues to be a worry for many parents. Indeed adolescence is an essential period for development, which few parents pay attention to how the use of social media impacts their children. Social media have become integral to the young generation that leads to anxiety and reduced self-esteem (Nguyen 2). Social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and twitter impact young people’s wellbeing and health by exposing them to enhanced depression feelings and anxiety (Goodyear, Armour, and Wood 5). Young peers are prone to sharing in social media through texting and scrolling past bedtime that leads them to new styles of communication.
Teenagers spend much time on social media observing images and lifestyles of their peers, leading to constant comparisons that can damage their images or self-esteem due to depression. Hence, it is essential to provide annotated bibliography on social media effects on young people that include the development of new lifestyle, language behavior, substance abuse, and harmful health practices.
Social media impact the lifestyle of the young generation by leading them to new relationships. The study conducted by Purusothaman that concentrated on the effect of social media on young people reveals how social media platforms motivate youths to view unethical videos or images and involve in chats that generate new relationships. The study further shows that many teens are changing from televisions programs to social media, which influences their lifestyles by encouraging them to develop networks across the globe, strengthening their relationship with different people through expressing what they like or hate. This interaction is achievable through texting, image, or video-sharing to people in their friend list, which allow them to pass pressing issues, share their thoughts and feelings with their friend and peers. As they grow older, they live in a dilemma due to different guidelines on solving the problems that they get from social media. For instance, these media facilitate changes in political views as young people can participate in political information shared in social media. Therefore, social media changes the lifestyle of young people through sharing and connecting to different people that allow them to develop new styles of solving their social issues.
Social media also lead to new languages and cultural behaviors among the young generation. The finding of research conducted by Ali, Iqbal A., and Iqbal K. reveal how social media allow the sharing of information that can reach different audiences or target groups, especially young people who develop new tendencies. Consequently, the study shows how this new generation associates with varying people through several social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter, that allow them to acquire digital literacy and socialize to learn innovative ways, including new language and different cultural values. Young people can create and join various social media platforms like Facebook or twitter that allow them to relate with diverse individuals through discussing their issues using different languages, and thereby they can learn and embrace new words. Besides, the study also reveals that young people also develop new cultural values, including dressing codes, entertainment styles, and shopping habits, that they learn mainly through social media platforms. Hence, social media allow young people to develop new languages and new cultural values that impact their behavior due to new things they learn and embrace from platforms like Facebook or Twitter.
In the current world, social media has become an integral and essential part of young peoples’ lives that allow them to develop violence-related practices and substance abuse. According to the research by Nguyen, gadgets enable young people to access social media which play a significant role in their life and lead to the development of violence behaviors (2). The finding indicates that social networking sites play an essential role in violence seen among young people. Aggressive young people have a greater tendency to seek extreme entertainment by watching violent connected posts or videos. The study further shows that major social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, or twitter that the young generation uses involve cyberbullying they can adopt through communication. Exposure to such violent behavior in social networking site lead young people to develop both verbal or physical antisocial behaviors, emotions, and thoughts (Nguyen 3). Thus, social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram expose children to related violent behavior like cyber insecurity, which may
lead them to verbal or physical antisocial practices.
Social media also influence the health and wellbeing of young people. The study conducted by Goodyear, Armour, and Wood in the context of increasing international concern on the young generation’s health revealed growth in unhealthily lifestyle practices, obesity, risky online setting, and mental health issues (5). The finding from this study shows that young people are gradually shifting to social networking sites and digital technologies to seek information related to health that lacks robust guidance on their health application. More uncontrollable and unsolicited information related to health on social networking sites like Facebook, Instagram, or twitter gets accessed by young people, which negatively impacts their health and wellbeing. Many young generations have embraced the observed behaviors that enable them to engage in extreme exercise or diets which they access from social media sites or health technological sites. Therefore, social media allow children to embrace activities that related to nutrition or training that may negatively impact their health and wellbeing.
The annotated bibliography provided effects of social media on young people that included adaption to new lifestyles, new behaviors, and adverse health practices. Young people are changing from watching television to social networking sites, which impact their lifestyle by motivating them to connect and share their issues and receive information regarding their social problems. Besides, social media allow the young generation to embrace new language or cultural behavior due to modern practices they learn and adapt from social media sites like Facebook, Instagram, or twitter. Also, exposure to social media platforms allows children to develop violent behavior of cyberbullying. Social media also negatively influence young people’s health and wellbeing. Young people are continually adopting social media platforms for seeking information connected to health such as diets, or exercise, which they embrace without proper guidelines that lead to health complications. Thus, social media affect the lifestyle, behaviors, and health practices of young people due to exposure to contents such as video or images that have different information they learn and adapt.
Social media have both positive and negative effects on young people that call for effective methods to address the negative impacts, including related violent behavior or harmful health practices such as diets or exercises. It is adults’ or guardians’ responsibility, including teachers and parents, to support children in safely using social media platforms to generate positive outcomes. In developing these interventions for young people, it is significant to know a variety of relevant social networking contents such as peer content from reputable accounts, likes, or followers. Due to the adverse impacts of social media on young people, adults, including teachers and parents, should take responsibility for checking what children do in social media and guide them through developing relevant knowledge of social networking sites.