The Social Media dilemma: friend or foe?
Helena Cosens discusses the impact of social media on young minds and how we can make sure young people aren't negatively affected.
With 70% of 12-15 year olds having a profile on social media, it is safe to say that social media plays a substantial role in young people’s lives, and an equally substantial impact on their young minds - in fact almost certainly too much of an impact.
There is an alarming need to have the most followers, the most likes, the most comments, and on top of that, there is a pressure to post only the best content. The standards are set impossibly high. Nobody wants to see the day-to-day ‘boring stuff’, only the small amount of someone’s life that's deemed ‘Instagram worthy’. It is all too easy to forget that what you see on social media isn’t always a true reflection of someone’s life or lifestyle. However, with this in mind it would be unfair and untrue to say social media is all bad. It has given rise to a new way of communicating, allowing people to communicate on a global scale. Social media has provided a platform, a safe space even, for many, allowing them to speak up and raise awareness about issues and problems they may have otherwise kept quiet.
The NHS digital survey of the mental health of children and young people in England (published in 2018) found that 11-19 year olds with a mental health disorder were more likely to use social media every day (87.3%) than those without a disorder (77%). Rates of daily social media usage also varied by type of disorder: 90.4% of those with emotional disorders used social media daily, while 68% of those with neurodevelopmental disorders such as hyperactivity disorder and autism did so. The study shows a clear correlation between the use of social media and young people’s mental health. Another negative effect of social media to consider is the fact that it gives rise to bullying that takes place online - cyberbullying. One in five young people aged 11-19 had experienced cyberbullying in the past year and 83% want social media companies to do more to tackle cyberbullying.
Do the negatives of social media outweigh the positives? Statistically, social media has a damaging effect on young minds. Arguably, following this year's turbulent months, I have seen a significant change in the ways people use their social media platforms. Instead of posting ‘throw away’ pictures, more positive and informative posts fill the Instagram explore page. Influencers increasingly post less photoshopped/edited images, promoting natural bodies.
There is also an increasing number of useful and informative Instagram pages. Some amazing pages that raise awareness and embrace mental health are: ‘realdepressionproject’ and ‘dearmyanxiety’, which have followed extremely devastating world events such as the Yemen crisis and the tragic killing of George Floyd. Social media has played a vital role in educating young people and opening their eyes to issues they may have unconsciously overlooked. ‘Soyouwanttotalkabout’ is a very insightful Instagram page which is definitely worth a follow. It is refreshing and pleasing to see that social media can be utilised in a way that positively impacts young people.
Raising awareness of the dangers and negative impacts of social media can allow young people to step back and question whether social media is having a negative effect on their mental health. I believe that your mindset is crucial in allowing social media to impact you positively. Unfollowing accounts that make you think or feel negatively is very important. It’s easy to forget that you have a choice in what you see on social media - apart from the annoying ads!
By Helena Cosens, Year 13
With 70% of 12-15 year olds having a profile on social media, it is safe to say that social media plays a substantial role in young people’s lives, and an equally substantial impact on their young minds - in fact almost certainly too much of an impact.
There is an alarming need to have the most followers, the most likes, the most comments, and on top of that, there is a pressure to post only the best content. The standards are set impossibly high. Nobody wants to see the day-to-day ‘boring stuff’, only the small amount of someone’s life that's deemed ‘Instagram worthy’. It is all too easy to forget that what you see on social media isn’t always a true reflection of someone’s life or lifestyle. However, with this in mind it would be unfair and untrue to say social media is all bad. It has given rise to a new way of communicating, allowing people to communicate on a global scale. Social media has provided a platform, a safe space even, for many, allowing them to speak up and raise awareness about issues and problems they may have otherwise kept quiet.
The NHS digital survey of the mental health of children and young people in England (published in 2018) found that 11-19 year olds with a mental health disorder were more likely to use social media every day (87.3%) than those without a disorder (77%). Rates of daily social media usage also varied by type of disorder: 90.4% of those with emotional disorders used social media daily, while 68% of those with neurodevelopmental disorders such as hyperactivity disorder and autism did so. The study shows a clear correlation between the use of social media and young people’s mental health. Another negative effect of social media to consider is the fact that it gives rise to bullying that takes place online - cyberbullying. One in five young people aged 11-19 had experienced cyberbullying in the past year and 83% want social media companies to do more to tackle cyberbullying.
Do the negatives of social media outweigh the positives? Statistically, social media has a damaging effect on young minds. Arguably, following this year's turbulent months, I have seen a significant change in the ways people use their social media platforms. Instead of posting ‘throw away’ pictures, more positive and informative posts fill the Instagram explore page. Influencers increasingly post less photoshopped/edited images, promoting natural bodies.
There is also an increasing number of useful and informative Instagram pages. Some amazing pages that raise awareness and embrace mental health are: ‘realdepressionproject’ and ‘dearmyanxiety’, which have followed extremely devastating world events such as the Yemen crisis and the tragic killing of George Floyd. Social media has played a vital role in educating young people and opening their eyes to issues they may have unconsciously overlooked. ‘Soyouwanttotalkabout’ is a very insightful Instagram page which is definitely worth a follow. It is refreshing and pleasing to see that social media can be utilised in a way that positively impacts young people.
Raising awareness of the dangers and negative impacts of social media can allow young people to step back and question whether social media is having a negative effect on their mental health. I believe that your mindset is crucial in allowing social media to impact you positively. Unfollowing accounts that make you think or feel negatively is very important. It’s easy to forget that you have a choice in what you see on social media - apart from the annoying ads!
By Helena Cosens, Year 13