Negative Influences
What are the negative effects and influences that technology has on the teenage mind?
Parents and even teenagers themselves are able to easily recognize the negative effects technology has on their mental health and everyday lives, but why do we continue house social media platforms that have such strong cons?
Most negative affects that social platforms have on the developing mind of a teenager have been well-voiced. These including:
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Exposure to inappropriate content:
Although anyone can be careful online and take the precautions to ensure safety online, it can still be a risk. Ads for a desired product for cheap can be displayed on a trusted website, but the ad itself can be a trick to gather personal information such as addresses, phone numbers, credit card information, and personal identity. Trackers can even find information through a hacked internet connection, so you can never be too safe. Parents are concerned about this when it comes to their children making the right choices online. Another thing to worry about is a child coming across inappropriate content online, such as nudity, violence, or drug use. Whether this information is found intentionally or accidentally, it still puts a child at risk because it can promote the idea that sharing this kind of media online is okay to do. "One in ten children aged 8 -11 who go online said they had seen something nasty or worrying online... 56 % of 11-16 year olds have seen explicit material online" (Internet Matters).
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Cyberbullying:
Cyberbullying is a form of bullying through social platforms. This includes things like harassment, name-calling, threats, and more. Many children who are on social media have endured this type of bullying, whether from peers they know or people they don't. This type of bullying usually isn't addressed to other because a child may not interpret the acts against them as bullying or as a serious threat due to how it's through a screen. Getting bullied through technology or not can take a toll on a teen's mental health. They may feel trapped and scared to voice their problems, especially if they don't know who's attacking them. "Overall, 60% of girls and 59% of boys have experienced at least one of six abusive online behaviors. While similar shares of boys and girls have encountered abuse, such as name-calling or physical threats online, other forms of cyberbullying are more prevalent among girls." (Pew Research Center). Many people online say harsh things to one another because they can hide behind a fake name and face, which makes it a whole lot scarier for the teen who doesn't know who's bullying them.
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Self-esteem:
Social media platforms are great to see what all of your peers are doing and achieving in life. This can be good when a teen also feels they have personal achievements and successes to share, but very negative if not. Many teens may feel like their lives aren't as fulfilling or "cool" enough to share online because they compare themselves to others, ruining their self-esteem. Teenagers are still trying to figure out their own lives, but with influence of peers lives and actions on social media, it sets a standard of how someone should be living and doing. This makes the children who fail to meet those expectations, feel less than. Another problem most teen's experience is low self-esteem when it comes to their bodies. Seeing someone online who looks nothing like you become famous for their genetics can make you second-guess if you're attractive to others as well. Expectations for the "perfect body" have been created through social media. Young boys in awe over a grown woman's physique may make a 14 year old girl feel they're ugly because they don't have the body that the woman 15 years older than her does. Social and physical standards have been set due to how everyone presents themselves online, negatively affecting teenager's priorities to go from school and work to become just their appearance and how people see them online and in real life. Trying so hard to fit in and be everyone's expectation of "perfect" can lead to teens hating themselves for being different. " By triggering comparison with others, it can raise doubts about self-worth, potentially leading to mental health issues such as anxiety and depression." (ACC Edu).
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Mental health:
Many studies show that technology can be linked to teen depression. Along with low self-esteem, depression can be derived from social platforms in many ways. Although technology isn't a direct cause of depression, it may worsen the effects of the disorder. Seeing someone live a perceived "perfect life" while you're dealing with feeling like you're lost, surely won't help you feel better or overcome depression. Cyberbullying, and bullying in general, can lead to a teen feeling depressed, and online is the easiest way to feel attacked by bullying because people feel comfortable saying anything behind a screen. Teens can also isolate themselves socially and "escape" to an online persona than can lead to them feeling uncomfortable and unhappy in their real lives. "Overall, in terms of the relationship between screen use and both physical and mental health outcomes, there have been several studies that suggest higher levels of screen use in children and adolescents is associated with reduced physical activity, increased risk of depression, and lower well-being." (Children's Bureau).
Daily life:
Teenagers rely on technology for everything now. Talking to friends, information, help, even entertainment. This can take away from genuine family time, focus in school or work, problems getting regular sleep and more. Teens depend on technology more than ever before, sometimes even to the point where they feel they cannot live without it. They hold it as a necessity for life like air, food and water would be, and this dependency to an object can be seen as an addiction. Teens would easily choose to watch a movie or call a friend instead of doing their homework, and pushing away responsibilities for this can be bad because it can lead to a distance socially with friends and family, failing school, missing work and other important responsibilities. "I asked my classmate what she did over the weekend and if she studied for our math test. No, she said, she knew she needed to study, but she went on her phone and lost track of time" (Wolfers). Finding a balance between the two is vital. Finding joy in technology can be good, as long as one does what is needed of them first.
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Privacy:
One of the number one concerns parents have concerning their children online is their privacy and safety, because it is never guaranteed. Hackers are everywhere and as technology advances, so do they in their tactics. A common thing that happens is someone's social platform being hacked from an insecure password and someone else posting anything they want under your name. Another concern for teenagers is oversharing information. They may meet someone online who seems attractive, their age, and conveniently in their area. They may talk for a long time, the teen sharing personal information about themselves, to someone who can be 3 times their age hiding behind a fake persona they made up to get that kind of information about the teen. Catfishing is always a risk and nobody thinks it could happen to them until it does, and then it's too late to take back any pictures or information that was sent. "Beyond basic profile information, some teens choose to enable the automatic inclusion of location information when they post. Some 16% of teen social media users said they set up their profile or account so that it automatically includes their location in posts." (Pew Research Center). Privacy online is a hard thing to keep, especially with your digital footprint. You may post an embarrassing picture of yourself you didn't mean to post, but don't worry, only three people saw it. One of those people could screenshot or save that photo, send it to someone else, then it could get sent around again and again. This is because once something is out there it's out forever, so teens need to be careful what they say and do online.
