What the Experts Say I: Beneficial and Harmful Influence of Social Media on Teenagers

The American Academy of Pediatrics publishes a scientific journal, Pediatrics, which is dedicated to the health of children. In one of their issues, they discussed the benefits and costs of social media use for children and teenagers.

The Pediatrics journal stated that one of the biggest advantages of social media for young adults, is aid in development of identity and aspirations. The online platforms became a place to develop new friendships and maintain the existing ones, thus social media reinforces and even improves peer communication. Furthermore, it provides teenagers with the necessary social support, and resources to explore their interests, which aid mental growth and development. 

While social media can reinforce positive communication and development, it also exposes children to inappropriate content and cyberbullying. Studies have shown that 25% of adolescents have shown to experience online bullying on social media, as they have received negative “comments” on their posts. On top of that, excessive use of social media results in apparent lack of sleep, which can contribute to development of depressive syndromes in children. 

Therefore, the use of internet by young adults needs to be moderated by the parents and limited to a certain amount of time on daily basis.

Works Cited: Uhls, Y., Ellison, N., & Subrahmanyam, K. (2017, November 01). Benefits and Costs of Social Media in Adolescence. Pediatrics , 140(2), 67-70. https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article/140/Supplement_2/S67/34168/Benefits-and-Costs-of-Social-Media-in-Adolescence
















Commentaires

  1. Daniela Hartmanová4 mai 2022 à 03:24

    It is good, that you mentioned also the positive side of social media because everyone usually mentions only the bad side of it. Of course, that the bad impact of social media on people is probably much higher, but there is also a positive impact on people, which is good to know and to think about. Exactly as you mention, social media can improve aid in development of identity and aspirations. It is very important to emphasize, that on everything bad is something good. And also, I would like to ask you, do you think, that only parents should moderate their children on social media? Or should the school be engaged as well? For example, should teachers teach about that at school, that the social media can be dangerous and teach children how to think critically about information they see on social media platforms?

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