Adolescents and Social Media

As technological innovations continue to expand, access to devices that connect one to social media have become more readily available to the public. The increasing usage of social media networks is strongly affecting the social development of young adolescents. The effects social media is having on young adolescents is can be positive or negative depending on how the child is being exposed to it. For instance, social media positively affects adolescents by enabling them to build stronger social connections with their peers as they are able to easily stay connected to them. In contrast, these connections can also have a negative effect on the social development of young adolescents if they are victims of bullying or other damaging relationships because their abuser can easily remain connected to them.

In addition, the use of social media among young adolescents will also have an impact on their mental health as they can be exposed to unrealistic ideals of body image which can affect their self-esteem and have long term effect on their social development. One of the many benefits of the advances technology has made is the way in which people can remain connected and easily reached throughout the day. This indicates that young adults are able to remain connected to their friends outside of school hours, which aids their social development. By having access to devices in which social interactions can occur outside of a school setting, children and young adolescents are practicing social skills on a regular basis.

In contrast, although the use of social media networks has positive effects on the social development of young adolescents, there are also dangers that arise from using it. For example, if children are being victims of bullying, having access to social media can cause the aggressors to have another source at which to attack.

Another danger with young adolescents using social media is that their use may be uncensored and parents cannot always control what their children are doing or whom they are interacting with. For instance, children could be exposed to communicating with complete strangers they have never met, which could end up being predators. The problem with this is that social media is being used as a way to attract attention but in doing that, everyone on the internet is having access to these inappropriate photographs of young adolescents, whom are underage and with a possible lack of understanding of the dangers that may come with it. There are also factors that may affect young adolescent´s mental health in connection to their social development. For instance, social media can become addictive and impede children from face to face interactions or even as self-esteem problems and depression.
In conclusion, social media usage can affect the social development of young adolescents in many ways. Lastly, there can be many detrimental factors to social development when it comes to mental health. Social media should be used among young adolescents with a great deal of supervision and a high level of education about the dangers of social media, especially in a time where social media is easily accessed.