There is no doubt in saying that the pressure of social media is a solid one. The FOMO (fear of missing out) anything on social media can lead to real-life problems. Today’s teenagers in Australia pressurize themselves to be available on social media 24/7. It has been reported that the usage of teenagers in Australia is far more than adults. Social Media has become a vital part of a teenager’s life.
How does a teenager’s brain work?
Social media has become an addiction for most teenagers. At ULCA Brain Mapping Center, researchers found that several parts of the teenage brain have been activated by a ‘like’ button, which causes them to use this more. 32 Teenagers were made to use Instagram, and then a fMRI scanner was used to image the brain of these teenagers. The teenagers were shown their images where their friends ‘liked’ some photos. The result revealed that the nucleus accumbens, part of the brain’s reward circuitry, was active when they saw a significant number of likes on their photos. According to the scientist, this is the same part of the brain that responds to the people or things we love.
Another study also shows that there is a correlation between peer influence and social media. Participants in the study were shown both neutral photos and risky ones. They showed no response to the beautiful photo. Instead, they hit the like button on the pictures, which were popular and liked by peers.
Mental Health
Social media has made a lot of changes in the learning process of a young mind. There is no doubt in saying that it has broadened the teenager’s educational horizons and teaching new skills. It has also brought many changes in the mental health of a teenager. As the teenage brain is exposed to online time, they are unable to control the screen time, thus, the risk for disturbance can increase. Furthermore, they are exposed to cyberbullying, peer pressure that may cause several health issues. Here are some of the mental health issues that teenagers can experience from social media:
Depression
Psychologists are working to find the relationship between social media and depression. They have not found a cause-and-effect relationship between the two, but they have found that many social media factors can lead to depression. More social media usage can cause social activities to decrease, and teenagers can feel lonely more often. Research published by Computers in Human Behaviour found that depression can easily be caused by using social media more as compared to having some time alone. Research shows that teenagers who use more than seven social media websites are three times more prone to getting depressed than people who use fewer websites. People post their high life on social media, and then some are not privileged to afford luxury in life. This point may cause extreme inferiority complex and low self-esteem.
Anxiety
Teen often invest their emotions in their profiles on social media. There is pressure to respond to each comment quickly and to post the best photos of themselves on social media. There should be well-written captions and engaging content under the photos. This leads to competition among their peers. A study reveals that the larger the social circle online, the higher the chances to get anxiety for keeping up with everything online. If a teen makes a faux pas online, it can cause additional pressure. Online bullying is another source of stress faced by teenagers these days. There is slut-shaming, body shaming, and other such behavior that are causing anxiety among teenagers.
Sleep Deprivation
Teenagers spend a lot of time online that they are not able to sleep well. Their sleep pattern is disturbed, which leads to absence from schools, bad grades, and overeating. Journal of Youth Studies studied 900 teenagers, aged 12 to 15. The study revealed that they were unable to sleep at night, and they log in to social media sites as soon as they reach home from school. This study also showed that girls are more likely to be awake at night for social media than boys. They reported feeling tired most of the time than their counterparts who sleep well at night and use social media less. Lack of sleep may lead to a weak immune system that can cause diseases.
Envy
Jealousy and envy are normal human emotions, but they can cause massive damage to a teenage brain when they start to think that the other person enjoys those things he has not. Besides, people only post their good experiences and lifestyle, so the other person may come under the illusion that their life is not as good as these social media stars. What teenagers fail to understand is that they only reveal their luxurious life. Offline they may be facing troubles just like us. But the teenage brain may pick the fact that the other person is a lot happier than they are. This feeling of envy leads to loneliness, anger, and depression. Many girls target other girls for cyberbullying because they think that the other has a better home and lives.
Communication Issues
Social media is a great technology to keep in touch with friends and family who are far away. But at the same time, it takes teenagers away from their families and face-to-face communication. A teenager does not see the other person’s voice or feeling while chatting, so it can cause misunderstandings. Teenagers spent the whole day checking other people’s status and photos which leads to a waste of time and loss of interaction with real friends. Teenagers fell for each other during online dating, but when it comes to real life, and the person does not come up to the expectation, the teenagers experience heartbreaks and pain.
Conclusion
Many changes happens in the teenage brain, so the parents need to notice their kids while using the internet. People these days can make fake id and teenagers fall for it easily. It is common nowadays to make fake id top 2021. It is essential to minimize the usage of social media to prevent mental health problems.
