The negative impacto g technology and social media on teens

Nowadays, technology has given teenagers a "stereotype" that social media has caused
young people to change their way of being by following individuals they call "influencers."
In most cases, this leads to changes in their behavior, mentality, and physical appearance to
resemble the people they admire, and to make a good impression on others, which could
have short-term or long-term consequences. Furthermore, technology has made access to
this influence available at a very early age, as in some cases there is inadequate supervision
by parents or responsible adults, leading children and teenagers to develop negative
behaviors or conform to the stereotypes that some social media platforms can generate due
to the content they display.

Various types of stereotypes have been created over the years, such as the idealization of a
perfect body, which affects the self-esteem of adolescents, primarily impacting women.
Many of them compare themselves to models or well-known influencers. Many of them
change themselves because they criticize themselves. "Adolescents, are the ones who judge
and criticize the most based on body image (Maria Casa Lobos - 2021), they worry about
fitting in, they criticize themselves and others for being perfect or not being perfect, they
change the way they think, they change their physical appearance by subjecting themselves
to an "extreme diet," harming their physical and mental health. As Tania Gualdron stated,
"adolescents adopt dangerous behaviors to become the 'perfect woman' portrayed by the
media and society. All of this leads to negative consequences for mental health" (Tania
Gualdron, 2020), resulting in eating disorders such as bulimia and anorexia that affect both
physical and mental health. This pressure to conform to stereotypes affects not only women
but also men, although not to the same extent. Men are subjected to stereotypes of the
perfect body, constantly exposed to social media images of muscular and athletic bodies.
This can lead to harmful behaviors such as an obsession with exercise and the use of
steroids for muscle growth, which can have serious consequences for physical and mental
health.
The fashion industry, advertising, and even influencers themselves play an important role in
promoting stereotypes by frequently featuring models and celebrities with perfect bodies.
This makes adolescents feel pressured to meet unrealistic expectations, leading to negative