Adolescence is marked by many physical and mental development changes, which have several challenges. During this time, teenagers start to use modern technology and join social media networks (SMNs), which have some adverse effects on them. From the video by CBS Sunday Morning (2018), social media isolates the teen users from people around them as they concentrate more on their gadgets, with limited face-to-face interaction. When other people talk to the young girl in the video, Elsie Fisher, she seems not to be listening to them, and when she responds, she does it briefly. Although social media use has been found to be beneficial, it has some adverse effects on adolescents.
The video illustrates that social media in adolescence makes the stage even harder because it causes loneliness. For example, when teenage users see everyone participating in the activities they are not a part of, they feel lonelier. They then become demotivated and develop lower confidence to engage in social interactions. For instance, in the video by CBS Sunday Morning (2018), Elsie Fisher looks through the window and sees her peers having fun at the swimming pool. Thus, she feels dejected because she cannot be with them. Addiction to the use of social media during adolescence adversely affects teenagers’ mental health.
However, social media use can be a double-edged sword with some advantages and disadvantages. One of the benefits is that adolescents can have fun sharing their best moments with friends and family, as did the video’s director, Bo Burnham. For this reason, the negative aspects of social media use among teens can be counteracted and the positive ones maintained. One way of doing it is by reinforcing the acceptable social media practices and supporting teenagers’ interests to help them make good use of social media. The second way is starting early conversations, guiding them on the appropriate use of SMNs. These strategies will encourage responsible social media use, thereby thwarting the negative aspects and enhancing positive ones.
In conclusion, adolescents undergo many developmental changes, making this stage of life hard. Social media use among teenagers makes their time even more difficult because of the many adverse effects, such as loneliness, which makes them lose touch with reality due to limited interaction with people around them. However, these negative impacts can be counteracted by starting early conversations concerning this topic to promote responsible use of social media.
Reference
CBS Sunday Morning. (2018). How social media makes adolescence even harder. YouTube. Web.