negative effects of social media on college students

While technology allows parents/caregivers to take a break and enjoy their meals, it’s possible that being exposed to the internet at such a young age could impact their child’s long-term mental health.

It’s not unusual to walk into a restaurant and see toddlers glued to iPads. That might include parents/caregivers (1) limiting screen time from a young age (2) introducing media literacy in schools and (3) sharing warning signs that certain apps may be having a detrimental effect on emotional and psychological well-being, so that individuals know when it’s time to turn off their screens - or, if necessary, ask for help. However, there are several actions that can help eliminate the potential for harm through social media engagement. This practice can lead to, or exacerbate, mental health challenges such as depression, anxiety, eating disorders, or body dysmorphia. However, when these factors misalign, they can negatively impact young people, with lasting consequences for example, they might begin to consciously or subconsciously compare themselves (their lifestyles, their bodies, and more) to what they see on their screens. passive scrolling, overall time spent with screens, and age/developmental stage). The relationship between social media and mental health is complicated, and informed by many factors ( active vs. Separate models independently assessing each of the four social media platforms revealed a negative association between use of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapshot and early adolescents’ academic achievement.By understanding how social media affects the self-image of teens and young adults, change-makers in the tech and mental health spaces can work together with parents/caregivers and educators to positively influence how future generations use the internet and view themselves.Regarding gender, results indicated more frequent use of social media among girls than boys specifically, for the platforms Instagram and Snapchat.This finding is especially important for parents who may be attempting to navigate their children’s online presence. Secondly, this finding signals that perhaps the preferred social media use platform may be changing altogether for both younger and older individuals. First, it points to the fact that social media use among early adolescents differs from that of adults. In contrast to previous findings, results suggested that the most widely used social media platforms were Instagram and Snapchat, not Facebook and Twitter, as is commonly identified in adult samples. This finding is notable, as it suggests a few important features regarding social media use currently.The study found the following to be notable: Study participants were drawn from The PANDA Project, which was designed to learn more about adolescents’ adjustment and development. Adolescents were recruited from middle schools located in the Northeast region of the United States and completed self-report surveys in the fall of 2016 and spring of 2017. Gordon and others decided to take a look instead at younger demographics as they are even more vulnerable due to their ever developing brains. However, previous studies often focus on older populations, such as older adolescents and college students, rather than early adolescents. The prolific use of social media has been one factor identified as having a potentially negative impact on achievement outcomes. Although some research shows there are benefits to social media-making new relationships with people not typically in the lives of adolescents, for example-researchers found that increased social media usage can have major interferences with brain development. The paper published in Youth & Society examines the impact of the use of various social media platforms-Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat-on how well a student does academically. Results show that with increased use of each of these platforms, academic achievement decreased.īetween 93% and 97% of 13 to 17 year-olds report using at least one social media platform, with most reporting using three different platforms regularly, researchers said. In a new study led by University of Delaware's Mellissa Gordon, researchers take a look at how this usage affects the schoolwork of this demographic.

Social media usage in adolescents and young adults has been accepted as widespread and pervasive. From communicating and connecting with people around the world, to sharing everyday life’s moments through pictures and videos its prolific use has become a dominant entity in present-day society. Newswise - Social media-particularly social networking sites Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat-has changed the ways in which we interact with one another.

Negative effects of social media on college students