by Josef Montejano
At this very second, millions of kids are using their phones for social media. Many of whom spent constant hours texting, gaming watching videos. Distancing themselves from the outside world because the devices they use distracts them from everyday life, fulfilling themselves with entertainment.
The power of social media has major impacts on children, especially on teens since it has easy access to this “different world.” For example, I’ve become so addicted to gaming, texting, Facebook, and Instagram, that I’ve lost touch to be sociable. There’s so much science between the use of social media and its effects on children and how it’s become a national problem for our generation.
According to an article in Psychology Today “Social Media, Loneliness, and Anxiety in Young People” by Graham C.L Davey, a recent study showed that 1,839 college students at Lock Haven University had negative relationships with their school performance due to spending time on Facebook. Another study at Regis University in Colorado notes that all students who use Facebook gain an amount of stress based on how large the network is. (Videos, pictures, messenger.) The larger the network, the bigger the stress they take.
The power of social media has major impacts on children, especially on teens since it has easy access to this “different world.” For example, I’ve become so addicted to gaming, texting, Facebook, and Instagram, that I’ve lost touch to be sociable. There’s so much science between the use of social media and its effects on children and how it’s become a national problem for our generation.
According to an article in Psychology Today “Social Media, Loneliness, and Anxiety in Young People” by Graham C.L Davey, a recent study showed that 1,839 college students at Lock Haven University had negative relationships with their school performance due to spending time on Facebook. Another study at Regis University in Colorado notes that all students who use Facebook gain an amount of stress based on how large the network is. (Videos, pictures, messenger.) The larger the network, the bigger the stress they take.
A recent article from July 2017 on Huffington Post by Emily Blatchford, shows how to tell if social media really is giving you anxiety. She says that people who use social media will have a psychological reaction, such as stress, emotion, etc. People could be triggered by a certain something when viewed. People will be reading comments, and it brings up their curiosity. They anticipate on what is happening from the previous time that they had seen it.
There are points that they are desperate to view a certain media, but at the same time there’s that side that wants you to avoid it at all cost. Except the ‘said’ person is etching to see it. A way to see if media is giving you anxiety is to check on how you are feeling when you are exposed to the media being shown.
To avoid this, you should limit on how much you view it, so that you wouldn’t have to worry about certain posts and you can stay neutral. Or you can delete apps on your phone, which can also limit your use on screen.
Unfortunately, there are times where social media takes on bigger effects. Research shows that the longer you spend on social media, the more likely you are to become depressed. There are other surveys that found that when students use Facebook and Twitter, it causes them to be less focused and more stresses due to the distractions it leads to and the time it wastes. Studies shown that at the University of Michigan it was found that people who use Facebook more are more likely to be unhappy than people who use it less (TheHeartySoul).
I documented a survey and asked 20 students at Yerba Buena High School about social media’s impact on people. One question contained whether or not if social media impacts people's social relationships. 16 of those 20 students replied with yes it does, and the remaining few were not sure if it really did make impacts.
I asked their about their status on social media, "How often are you on?" 4 people said they were on for 0-1 hours, 8 said they spent 2-3, 2 said 4-5, 4 said 6-7, and 2 said they spend more than 8 hours on it.
To finalize it, I asked if social media affected their social ability. 13 of the 20 said yes it affected them, and 7 said no it has not.
There are points that they are desperate to view a certain media, but at the same time there’s that side that wants you to avoid it at all cost. Except the ‘said’ person is etching to see it. A way to see if media is giving you anxiety is to check on how you are feeling when you are exposed to the media being shown.
To avoid this, you should limit on how much you view it, so that you wouldn’t have to worry about certain posts and you can stay neutral. Or you can delete apps on your phone, which can also limit your use on screen.
Unfortunately, there are times where social media takes on bigger effects. Research shows that the longer you spend on social media, the more likely you are to become depressed. There are other surveys that found that when students use Facebook and Twitter, it causes them to be less focused and more stresses due to the distractions it leads to and the time it wastes. Studies shown that at the University of Michigan it was found that people who use Facebook more are more likely to be unhappy than people who use it less (TheHeartySoul).
I documented a survey and asked 20 students at Yerba Buena High School about social media’s impact on people. One question contained whether or not if social media impacts people's social relationships. 16 of those 20 students replied with yes it does, and the remaining few were not sure if it really did make impacts.
I asked their about their status on social media, "How often are you on?" 4 people said they were on for 0-1 hours, 8 said they spent 2-3, 2 said 4-5, 4 said 6-7, and 2 said they spend more than 8 hours on it.
To finalize it, I asked if social media affected their social ability. 13 of the 20 said yes it affected them, and 7 said no it has not.
Jheremie Naval, a Yerba Buena High School student, who is into social media, also sees social media having a negative impact on kids, including himself.
“I see social media having more of a negative impact because teens tend to put their info online, which exposes who they are, and that info could be used against them,” he says.
“On the other hand, social media is pretty handy because there are many people who don’t like going outside, that it "requires too much energy or effort" to go, and by having a device in our hands, it entertains us in a different way that it doesn’t involve us moving too much.”
Jheremie says that since he was exposed to social media, it’s been hard to meet new people because he’s limited to his standards, and that he doesn’t get that chance to meet new faces due to everyone having a different taste from him.
“Honestly, I see social media as a drug. We’ve become so addicted to it. It’s in our pockets, in our T.V, in front of us. It’s just something that never goes away. It’s what keeps us going,” he says.
“I see social media having more of a negative impact because teens tend to put their info online, which exposes who they are, and that info could be used against them,” he says.
“On the other hand, social media is pretty handy because there are many people who don’t like going outside, that it "requires too much energy or effort" to go, and by having a device in our hands, it entertains us in a different way that it doesn’t involve us moving too much.”
Jheremie says that since he was exposed to social media, it’s been hard to meet new people because he’s limited to his standards, and that he doesn’t get that chance to meet new faces due to everyone having a different taste from him.
“Honestly, I see social media as a drug. We’ve become so addicted to it. It’s in our pockets, in our T.V, in front of us. It’s just something that never goes away. It’s what keeps us going,” he says.