Social Media Usage in Teenagers

Exposure to problematic Bullies or cyberstalking Self-esteem issues,

ideologies

Misinformation Increase in sexual activities A decrease in privacy

Addiction Decline in face-to-face Increase in violence

communication

As an advocate for the well-being of minors, social media use should be discouraged among young
people. The negative effects of social media on young minds are well-documented and include exposure
to problematic ideologies, cyberbullying, addiction, the spread of misinformation, a decline in face-to-
face communication, self-esteem issues, social isolation, cyberstalking, harassment, a decrease in privacy,
and comparison and envy. As a society, we should work towards creating a healthier environment for our
children, free from the detrimental effects of social media. By promoting alternative activities and
encouraging positive social interactions in the real world, we can help our young people grow into happy,
healthy, and resilient adults.

Data directly linking social media to violence is hard to come by. Still, some researchers see a connection
between the explosion of social media apps and a rise in youth homicide rates. Federal data show that,
among people ages 15 to 19, homicide rates declined from 2006 to 2014 but increased 91% from 2014 to
2021

Frank [20] reported that 75.8% of texters and 72% of social networkers send messages or photos that they
would not want their parents to see, while 56.4% admitted to using texting or social networking to find a
place to gather without parental supervision, for example, to drink alcohol (41.5%) or to meet for sex
(27.4%). Additionally, Frank [20] reported that minorities, children of parents with less education, and
teenagers from homes without a father were more likely to engage in hypertexting and hypernetworking.

● Surveys suggest that 90% of teenagers use social media. Due to both the prevalence of teens
getting phones at a younger age combined with the addictive nature of social media, this results in
many teens spending hours each day on social media. Stats

● About 56% of US youth have their own social media accounts, according to Common Sense
Media. The average age when signing up for an account was 12.6 years.

● According to Common Sense Media, 42 percent of kids have a phone by age 10. By age 12, it's
71 percent. By 14, it's 91 percent.
 ● Overall, about 59% of the teens we have surveyed over the last eleven studies have told us that
they have been cyberbullied at some point in their lifetimes.

Citations
University of Georgia News. Social media addiction linked to cyberbullying. https://news.uga.edu/social-
media-addiction-linked-to-cyberbullying/
https://news.uga.edu/social-media-addiction-linked-to-cyberbullying/

University of Michigan School of Public Health. How social media perpetuates youth violence.
https://yvpc.sph.umich.edu/social-media-perpetuate-youth-violence/#:~:text=Youth%20who
%20oftentimes%20are%20continually,Theory%2C%20Bandura%2C%201986).

Yale Medicine. What are the potential harms of social media use by teens?
https://www.yalemedicine.org/news/social-media-teen-mental-health-a-parents-guide#:~:text=According
%20to%20a%20research%20study,including%20depression%20and%20anxiety%20symptoms.

Mayo Clinic. What’s the Impact? https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/tween-and-teen-health/in-

depth/teens-and-social-media-use/art-20474437

National library of Medicine https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5457530/