While social media has its benefits and popularity, it has many downsides and risks. Social media is known for communicating with people online, through videos, DMs, or photos, but people do not realize how addictive and how it negatively affects a person. Social media can have obstructive effects on young adults because it disrupts one’s sleep schedule, there are many catfishers and scammers, and it influences poor behavior.
Social media has many negative effects, but one of the most important ones is how it disrupts sleep schedules. The article “Sleep and Social Media” explains the dangers and downsides of using social media at night. It states, “Excessive use of social media close to bedtime can reduce sleep quality and increase the risk of a multitude of sleep issues” (Sleep and Social Media). If people use social media before bed, they may start to feel as if they can not stop, which will result in an abnormal sleep schedule. Also, it could stimulate their brains so that they have trouble sleeping peacefully. This is problematic because a sleep schedule can determine one’s whole day. If someone does not sleep well, they may wake up extremely late, feel tired all day, be in a bad mood, or take their anger out on others.
Another reason why social media is harming teens is because of online predators. Many adults can easily make a fake account and pretend they are someone who they are not. Experts at GCF global stated, “Online predators may try to lure kids and teens into sexual conversations or even face-to-face meetings. Predators will sometimes send obscene material or request that kids send pictures of themselves. Therefore, it’s important to teach your kids to be on their guard whenever they’re online” (GCFglobal). This proves that social media can be an extreme harm to young children. As a result, this can lead to many kids being manipulated into meeting predators and can even be sexually assaulted or feel very uncomfortable knowing that these people may have personal information. Social media is a huge threat for children and needs to be monitored so kids can stay safe on social media.
The last reason why social media is bad for teens is that it can have harmful effects on children’s behavior who use it in their everyday use. “The excessive use of social media can harm teens by disrupting important healthy behaviors. Some researchers think that exposure to social media can overstimulate the brain’s reward center and, when the stimulation becomes excessive, can trigger pathways comparable to addiction. Excessive use has also been linked to sleep problems, attention problems, and feelings of exclusion in adolescents—and sleep is essential for the healthy development of teens, according to the advisory” (Yale Medicine). This quote demonstrates that social media can change a child’s behavior and overstimulate the brain leading to attention problems, getting less sleep, and addiction. Frequent social media use may be associated with changes in the developing brain. Kids could also be less socially active, and not talk to friends or family as much. The more time a person spends online, the less time there is for real world interactions. This affects a child to the point where they only want to be on the internet instead of going outside, playing with friends, or even doing school work.
Although people believe that social media is a big way to promote businesses, it could be harmful to the business. Professionals at WIS BUSINESS state, “Sometimes, they might try to steal your sales revenue or even sell your account on the black market. Regardless of the motive, scammers can only hack your account if they get a hold of your login and password information” (Wis Business). This quote shows that hackers can very easily get into your accounts and could even steal money using social media pathways. Because of the high quality technology nowadays, it is easier for hackers to get into your accounts. Therefore, putting your businesses on social media is very dangerous.
To sum up, instead of using social media irresponsibly, teens should learn how to use it properly. Guardians should monitor the time spent on social media, along with how children use it. If they are not using it responsibly, it can result in many issues. These changes would benefit everyone.
