Social media are websites and applications that let you share your material and reply to other people’s posts. These can include images, text, comments or replies to other people’s postings, and informational links. Examples are Snapchat, Instagram, and TikTok. Twitter is now commonly known as X, and there are many more.
Social media is used worldwide; its audience is teens and young adults. ‘As of October 2024, there were 5.52 billion internet users worldwide, which amounted to 67.5 per cent of the global population. Of this total, 5.22 billion, or 63.8 per cent of the world’s population, were social media users.’
Social media is used by almost every age group these days, and with the world advancing in technology, the impact of social media is beginning to have more harm than good. Few countries have been planning to enforce the law to restrict social media, like Australia, one of the several countries in the region, to attempt to limit social media laws on children. Other countries like France introduced a law that prohibits children under the age of 15 from signing up for a social media account with parental consent.
But the question to ask ourselves would be why?
Why would the government restrict social media in their countries?
A survey by the Royal Society for Public Health asked 14–24-year-olds in the UK how social media platforms impacted their health and well-being. The survey results found that Snapchat, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram all led to increased feelings of depression, anxiety, poor body image, and loneliness.
What are the negative impacts of social media?
There are a lot of concerns as parents cannot monitor their kids every time they go on social media, what they are exposed to, what content they view on these platforms, and to what degree it is for their age group. These are concerns all parents have when asked by their kids if they can have any one of the popular platforms like Snapchat because all their friends have them.
However, comparing that to a few of its benefits sounds okay. What are these benefits? It can make adolescents and teens meet new people, broaden their horizons by learning about different cultures that can be all around the world and have that sense of belonging without having to feel like they need to fit in because they can find people in the same age group and with similar interests.
In conclusion, it depends on the teen and how they were brought up, with factors based on their strengths and vulnerabilities and cultural, historical, and socio-economic factors.
By Favour G
Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar, Alford, Newsroom