Robert DeFeo

ENG 101

Professor Lilley

April 1, 2019

The Digital Downfall of our Youth

Today’s teens and college students are consumed by a world that isn’t real,everyone is

intertwined within a world through a screen instead of the one that's just a glance above a

computer and cellphone. Social media has drawn in so many people because they can act and

present themselves how they would like to. The main social media sites used among youth are

Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat. All have these have been turned into vessels for

quick, and immediate satisfaction through likes, although there are far greater issues which have

arisen. The use of social media by today’s youth increases the likelihood of mental conditions

such as anxiety, depression, development of low self-esteem and increased chance of suicide.

Depression is a large epidemic in today’s youth due to bullying, low self-esteem, and

envy of others. The University of Swat and Peshawar did a study on university students and how

social media affects their depression. Social Networking and Depression among University

Students states,

Getting in shape and eating healthy is a huge trend right because America is on a health

craze and everyone wants to have the perfect physique. Researchers found that 31% of teens use

social media for health and fitness information (Nasir, 2018). This is a good and bad thing

because they may being influenced by Instagram models who alter their pictures and have

unattainable body types due to plastic surgery. They could also be curious and feel the

motivation to kick start and healthy lifestyle which researching social media and google would
be a great source for recipes and workout videos. Through the study done by The University of

Swat and Peshawar research department, they found that students need to get their social media

usage under control because it can and will cause negative impacts. They need outside

interaction and personal relationships with people to grow and enjoy a life that’s not through a

screen because in the end they will be much happier and healthier. Face to face interaction and

interpersonal relationships are an extremely important to the development of an individuals

social skills at an early age. This is especially true for one’s mental health, allowing for less

insecurity and negative effects from criticism.

There has been a reported rise in teen suicides due to the use of social media. Between

2010 and 2015 there was a surge of deaths for teens, while prior to 2010 there had been a steady

decline of suicides. In 2017 five teenagers have committed suicide in Yakima county, while in

2016 there was only one suicide for a teen 19 and under (Nasir, 2018). The rise in teen suicides

is suspected to be because of cyberbullying and posts from celebrities and bloggers who seem to

have a perfect life. Caitlin Hearty stated, “After hours of scrolling through Instagram feeds, I just

feel worse about myself because I feel left out.” Sometimes suicide can also be glorified because

it’s plastered all over social media. Kids may think that if they kill themselves they can also get

the same attention. The CDC did a national on high school students. They were asked about how

often they use electronics, social media, print media, television, and how often they spend time

with friends. The study found that teens using smartphones and other electronics for five or more

hours a day doubled from 8% in 2009 to 19% in 2015. The teens were 70% more likely to have

suicidal thoughts or actions if they even used electronics for one hour a day. (Nasir, 2018)

Smartphones and social media aren’t harmless, they are causing a lifelong psychological impact

on kids today, if it isn’t fixed it will end up causing extreme harm in the end.
 On social media today there are so many fake accounts claiming to be other people.

Facebook suspended 1.3 billion fake accounts and twitter suspects that 9 to 15 percent of their

accounts are fake (Vishwanath, 2018). The most devious of these accounts are many hate groups

that use social media to post pictures and videos of hurtful and awful things. Memes have

become a large trend within teens because they are funny and sarcastic. Sharing these videos and

images grants teens instant feedback on a loop that can cause bad decisions even if they are

getting gratification about likes on their posts. Teens are now also creating fake Instagram’s or

“finstas” because those are for their closest friends. They make their names shorter or change

their name completely so they can be real and open with the followers of that account and not

feel judged.

A lot of social media activity is rooted in fear of getting caught(Homayoun, 2017) by

parents so they have gotten clever and created closed Facebook groups or chats so they are

unsearchable and can post whatever they please. Apps such as Calculator+ and Vaulty, hide your

photos and have a mugshot feature when a parent tries to reach access to them. The apps have

passwords so no one can open them and see what may be in picture or video form. This causes

parents to have limited access to their children’s lives. Why do teens feel the need to be so

secretive? The University of California, Los Angeles conducted a study and found, “86 percent

of teens say they've received general advice around online use from their parents, and researchers

at Common Sense Media found that 30 percent of teens who are online believe their parents

know "a little" or nothing about what social media apps and sites they use”(Homayoun, 2017).

Most parents clearly know what is going on through their children's social media and

technological devices. Instead of instilling fear in their children or showing that they do not care,

parents need to start a healthy relationship involving their kids and social media. This could
cause socialization, effective self-regulation and safety for everyone involved. A bill just passed

in the House of Representatives that could made sending nudes as a teen illegal, you could be

charged with a felony and put in prison for fifteen years. A lot of parents are monitoring their

children's social media with their own or with apps that alert parents of risky behavior. An app

called Teen Safe links up teens phones with their parents and allows them access to phone calls,

emails, texts, social media, and geolocation. This monitoring may cause distrust within the

family and teens may not feel comfortable around their parents because they are monitoring them

all the time. Parents can take the approach of encouraging their kids to develop their own values

and standards when it comes to social media. They need to realize that their choices online can

affect them in the future.

Social media is starting to take effect on the human body and causing it to have poor

sleep. The internet has caused shorter sleep times, later bedtimes and rise time and increased

daytime tiredness. A study done by the Journal of Adolescence was conducted with 268

adolescents and it was discovered that 37% are losing sleep due to social media (Woods, 2016).

Social media on our phones cause two issues when it comes to our sleeping patterns. Alerts

during the night can cause the user to wake up due to the light from the phone or the sounds

coming from it. 86% of adolescents sleep with their phone near them and that means that the

sensory signals coming from the phone will wake them up (Woods, 2016). The second issue

social media causes are that it can create pressure to be available 24/7 and can cause a fear of

missing out (Woods, 2016).” Young adults, just like myself feel stressed and anxious when we

cant reply to a message right away. Using electronics before bed also does not help with sleep

patterns because the light from the screen can cause a decrease in melatonin production in your

brain, which will delay circadian rhythms.

 Social media is known to contribute to anxiety, depression and low self-esteem during

adolescence” (Fast,2015). The middle school and high school years are the hardest for kids

because a lot of them have low self-esteem due to changes in their appearance and bodies. Kids

pick on one another for how they talk, look and act. This isn't done to their face, it’s done on

social media and is called cyberbullying. “It is possible that interpersonal feedback and social

comparisons via social media will have a stronger effect on self-esteem levels of adolescents

who feel a strong emotional connection to social media sites”(Fast, 2015). A study was

conducted by 467 Scottish secondary school kids from the ages of 11 to 17. Based on the study

97% of the children said they used social media and 35% of them were poor sleepers. Around

47& of students were classified as anxious and 21% were depressed (Fast, 2015). These scores

show that social media takes a toll on sleep patterns which in turn can cause anxiety and

depression.

I feel that the way to go about fixing the issue between teens and social media is to give

teens phones later, educating parents on the dangers of social media and technology in our youth

and finally educating children at a young age about their mental and physical health when it

involves technology. I was not given a cell phone until I was a Junior in high school. This

allowed me to create interpersonal relationships within family and friends, instead of being glued

to my phone like the rest of my classmates. It also provided me with the ability to gain people

skills and learn how to communicate through face to face interactions which will help me in the

future when it comes to my career. If more parents did not give their kids a cellphone till mid

high school, there would be a lot less bullying and a lot more hardworking and open eared kids.

Before giving their children a cellphone, elementary and middle schools should hold seminars on

the dangers of social media and technology. This will provide parents with the correct guidance
on when to allow their children to have cellphones and how to address them if they already do.

They can teach parents the signs of potential cyberbullying or wrongful activity being conducted

by their child on the internet. The schools can also stress that mental and physical health is

extremely important for growing kids. They can be given the sign that their child may be

depressed or have low esteem. Parents can also encourage their children to participate in school

activities to make friends instead of playing video games or playing around on social media sites.

Starting at a young age schools should start educating kids on their mental and physical health.

They can create mental health awareness week just like they do D.A.R.E week to teach kids

about drug use. This will provide them with the knowledge of the mental health issues and

knowing that it’s ok if you have anxiety, depression or low self-esteem and that they can receive

help from a parent of faculty member at their school.

Social media is causing a divide

between parents and children and increasing depression, anxiety, low self-esteem and increased

suicide rates. Throughout countless studies that were conducted, cellphones and social media are

causing issues for teens. Parents need to find solutions to their children being consumed by

technology and find a common ground where they can talk freely with their kids without being

intrusive. Fixing the issue of this epidemic is a pressing matter that must be dealt with sooner

rather than later before the effects irreversible and passed on to other generations.

Citations
Ahmad , Nasir. “Social Networking and Depression among University Students.” ProQuest,

Pakistan Journal of Medical Research , Apr. 2015, search-proquest-

com.libproxy.uncg.edu/pqrl/docview/2080867948/1CDD24EF57794CD8PQ/13?accounti

d=14604.

Fast , Ingrid. “Social Media for Public Health: An Exploratory Policy Analysis.” ProQuest,

European Journal of Public Health , Feb. 2015, search-proquest-

com.libproxy.uncg.edu/pqrl/docview/1650238345/1CDD24EF57794CD8PQ/3?accountid

=14604.

Homayoun, Ana. “'Closed.' 'Fake.' 'Private': The Secret Social Media Lives of Teenagers:

[Personal Tech].” ProQuest, The New York Times , 8 June 2017, search-proquest-

com.libproxy.uncg.edu/usnews/docview/1906791409/F5505D5FA15B4914PQ/1?accoun

tid=14604.

Vishwanath, Arun. “Why Do so Many People Fall for Fake Profiles Online?” Phys.org,

Phys.org, 20 Sept. 2018, phys.org/news/2018-09-people-fall-fake-profiles-online.html.

Woods , Heather. “#Sleepyteens: Social Media Use in Adolescence Is Associated with Poor

Sleep Quality, Anxiety, Depression and Low Self-Esteem.” ProQuest, Journal of

Adolescence, Aug. 2016, search-proquest-

com.libproxy.uncg.edu/pqrl/docview/1810527029/1CDD24EF57794CD8PQ/14?accounti

d=14604.