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The Negative Impact of Social Media on Teenagers

Michael Patterson

ID#2300035

University of Technology, Jamaica

COM1024: Academic Literacy

Lecture: Miss Simone Berry

Date: April 20, 2024

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The excessive use of social media has severely impacted our nation's children. These

platforms offer nothing but a distraction to our adolescents.

The typical Jamaican teenager spends approximately six hours per day on social media

platforms (McKenzie et al., 2021). Consequently, these platforms will have a grave impact

on both their academic performances, as well as their health and well-being.

Students' extensive use of social media has negatively impacted their academic

achievement. Those who utilize these platforms more frequently than their peers reported

worse scores and less academic enthusiasm (Bernard, 2020.) Distracted by these platforms,

they are unable to balance their leisure and schoolwork. The ability to focus on their studies

is severely hampered by constant notifications, the desire to browse, and the need to keep up

an active online presence (Harrylal & Bernard, 2019).

Furthermore, online addiction can lead to health issues such as obesity,

cardiovascular problems, and musculoskeletal issues (Holm-Adamssen, Forgenie, &

Cumberbatch, 2022). These worrying trends must be addressed, as research also indicates

that adolescents’ excessive use is prone to sedentary lifestyles, disrupted sleep, and poor

dietary choices (Levenson et al., 2020; Vandendriessche et al., 2019).

In closing, the overuse of social media platforms among teenagers is linked to their low

academic performance in schools, as well as health issues, stemming from lack of sleep,

exercise, and poor dietary choices.

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References

Bányai, F., Zsila, Á., Király, O., Maráz, A., Elekes, Z., Griffiths, M. D., Andreassen,

C. S., & Demetrovics, Z. (2017). Problematic Social Media Use: Results from a Large-Scale

Nationally Representative Adolescent Sample. PloS One, 12(1),

e0169839. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0169839

Hallam, C. R. A., & Zanella, G. (2017). Online self-disclosure: The privacy paradox

explained as a temporally discounted balance between concerns and rewards. Computers in

Human Behavior, 68, 217–227. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2016.11.033

Levenson, J. C., Shensa, A., Sidani, J. E., Colditz, J. B., & Primack, B. A. (2016).

The association between social media use and sleep disturbance among young

adults. Preventive Medicine, 85, 36–41. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2016.01.001

Carter, D. (2020, December 2). Research: Social media hurts academic performance.

eCampus News. https://www.ecampusnews.com/campus-

leadership/2020/04/02/research-social-media-has-negative-impact-on-academic-

performance-2/

Holm-Adamssen, J., Forgenie, G., & Cumberbatch, J. (2022). The impact of digital media

use on physical activity and sedentary behavior among adolescents in the Caribbean.

West Indian Medical Journal, 70(2), 123-131.