Social media has become more and more popular since around 2013 because of people being

able to post almost anything that they would like to, and it will continue to become more popular

and more useful to people for years to come. Social media has benefited adults in a huge way.

Srivasta et al. add, “The virtual meetings and discussions on digital platforms save money and

investment of time” (par. 6). By not having to drive somewhere far for a meeting, they save tons

of money on gas, and they also save themselves so much time because they are right where they

need to be when it is time for the meeting, and this place could be in the comfort of their own

home. However, this does not just benefit adults, it could also benefit teens when it comes to the

topic of virtual learning because they can learn from home if they are sick or are not able to

make it to school; this has become super popular since the COVID outbreak in 2020. Students

are able to learn even if they are not at school, this allows them to not miss any assignments or

information. This is very useful because students are able to access their classwork whenever

they want, unlike traditional paper work. Another benefit of social media for teen usage in the

classroom is groups on apps, such as Facebook or Snapchat, that allow students to be notified

when an assignment is due or if they just need help on a problem that they might not understand.

However, some of the things that teens are seeing on social media in these groups are not

beneficial and can actually be harmful to them and have long term effects.

There are many things that teens are seeing on social media that they should not be

seeing, including drugs, sex, and violence. Social media is providing teens with images and

information that they should not have, especially violence around the world, sexually explicit

images, and profane language (Bryfonski 87). Violence has become a big topic on the news, and

social media gives teens access to these things even without watching the news. Things like

violence and drugs attract teens because they tend to like gory things. By seeing these things,
though, it could possibly encourage them to try these things which could lead to a rough life and

put them in a bad spot whenever they try to get a job or join a group. Therefore, it would be

better for teens to not have access to those things on social media so the idea is not in their head

at all.

Along with graphic photos and images, there is also a lot of inappropriate and obscene

language all over the internet and social media, something that teens can pick up and start to use.

Explicit language has always been a thing for teens, this is not something new. However, the use

of social media has made it more common for teens to see this type of explicit talk. In the article

“Online Privacy and Social Media” written by Carla Mooney, she states, “Profanity and sexually

explicit talk are not a new phenomenon in teenage locker rooms...the advent of social media has

stripped away such privacy” (4-5). This type of talk might not be a new thing for teens, but social

media has increased it and publicized it for more and more people to see. This can have a

negative impact on the way people see someone if they are using this type of talk or if they

repost it.