The Negative Effects Of Social Media On Teens

Improved Essays
If you find yourself walking by a group of friends, most of them will have their phones glued to their hands. In the article “78% of U.S. Teens Have a Phone, 47% of Them Own a Smartphone”, Todd Haselton states “The latest Teens and Technology 2013 study from Pew Research found that 78 percent of teens aged 12 – 17 now own a cell phone … 95 percent of all U.S. teens use the Internet.” That’s a large amount of teens that spend time on the Internet and social media. Unfortunately social media can have many negative effects. Some including depression, trouble socializing and even suicide.

Studies show that social media is just as addictive as drugs. Some users can 't control how much time they are on social media like Facebook. According to the article, “Facebook Makes Us Sadder And Less Satisfied, Study Finds” by Elise Hu, the University of Michigan found that the more people use Facebook, the worse they felt. This is due to the fact that they compare their lives to the peoples they see online. They see that other people 's lives seem happier and they start to feel bad about their own. This leads to being unsatisfied and depressed. Social media is supposed to be a way to connect with others and share happy moment but it seems to be doing the opposite. One problem with teens being obsessed with their phones is they don 't know when to stop.
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Not even when they are not allowed to text. In the article “Teen Texting Soars; Will Social Skills Suffer” by Jennifer Ludden, she states, “At schools where cell phones are forbidden, 58 percent of students with mobile phones say they’ve sent a text message during class.” This shows that teens would risk getting in trouble just to send a text. Sometimes it might not even be worth it. Texting frequently can also lead to bad spelling and writing according to Nini Halkett, a teacher at Harvard Westlake high school. Texting literally makes our communication skills worse. It messes with our academic abilities. Some may argue that social media is a great way to connect. Tavi Gevinson, a 17 year old student, claims “online socializing is the opposite of isolation- it 's all about connection.” That is the opposite of the truth. In her article, Ludden states “ Halkett also finds them increasingly shy and awkward in person.” When teens get so used to hiding behind a screen they forgot how to act in person. Therefore not being able to socialize face-to-face. Others may say the Internet is a way to communicate online and make new friends. But truthfully will those friendships even come close to the ones you can make in person? That way you can actually see how people really are. There is nothing hidden. Those kind of friendships can last a lifetime. No one should miss out on an opportunity like that because they 're too busy on the Internet. The Internet and social media have made a huge impact on all of our lives. They 've changed the way we communicate and view the world. We no longer need to visit a place to know how it looks. You can type it into your computer and hit search. Instantly thousands of pictures will appear on your screen. Because of all this new technology we don’t appreciate the little things anymore. We’ve lost sight of how to enjoy our lives in the real world.If you find yourself walking by …show more content…
Tavi Gevinson, a 17 year old student, claims “online socializing is the opposite of isolation- it 's all about connection.” That is the opposite of the truth. In her article, Ludden states “ Halkett also finds them increasingly shy and awkward in person.” When teens get so used to hiding behind a screen they forgot how to act in person. Therefore not being able to socialize face-to-face. Others may say the Internet is a way to communicate online and make new friends. But truthfully will those friendships even come close to the ones you can make in person? That way you can actually see how people really are. There is nothing hidden. Those kind of friendships can last a lifetime. No one should miss out on an opportunity like that because they 're too busy on the

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