Social media was meant for connecting people and talk to each other. It was safe in the early years. But now we say, social sites are for dangerous activities and that is because of the unchecked use by people as well as teens. According to research, 92% American before the age of 2 have an online presence. The study also found that all parents share around 1000 images of a child before it turns 5.

Many people use social sites for business and work while there are millions who waste their precious time on social sites just talking to strangers, liking statuses, commenting on posts and bully other people they find. In all this, teens are the most affected people. Every social media platform is full of crap, predators and bullies who leave no stone unturned to take jibes on teens and young girls.

This shows the teens are more exposed to social media and the dating websites. The story of 13-year-old Nicole Lovell of Blacksburg had shocked the world and how she was killed. She had sent online messages through a dating app to the person who killed her later. There have been many such stories and hundreds of teens have lost their lives because of the bullies and predators on social sites.

What are the Effects of Social Media on Teens?

An effect of social media on teens has remained a hot topic of debate for years. There were people who argued in favor of the social sites while the majority was convinced social media has nothing good for the teens and children. Now, the whole world and all parents understand their children are not safe on social sites. Apart from safety concerns, social media is affecting teens in negative ways. Following are some negative impacts of social sites on the teenagers.

Brain Development

Teen between the ages of 5-12 gets effects from the environment and what happens in their surroundings. This affects their brain and how they think about the world, process information and react to anything. When everyone around them is internet addict , how will you expect your teens to grow like normal children? Moreover, studies found out that excessive use of social media and multi-tasking are harmful to the teens. They develop a habit which doesn’t allow them to complete tasks or do something quickly.

Privacy and Reputation

Most of the teens have friends of their age and some are the adult people. They see their friends posting photos , having lunch and dinner, enjoying together with other people and show off everything on the social sites. They wish to be like them and have that kind of freedom. When they are told to stop using phones and focus on study, they behave like brats and spoiled kids. They even share so many details on the sites and with people, they don’t know. The consequences can be really harmful and in many ways.

Apart from this, social media is not safe for teens. When they grow up, they are rascals and bully everyone. They even get rejected for a job because of their social media record. This ruins whole of their life. It causes depression and stress for teens. Stress for parents that their kids are being rejected is a plus effect.

Body Image and Self Esteem

Instagram and Facebook are all about perfect images and showing yourself in the ideal ways. When teens go through such content and images every single day, they feel low. There is a complex developing in every teen to feel ashamed about their bodies and look like the other people posting perfect body photos.

They feel insecure and try to look like the models in pictures and videos . We all have been created in the best possible ways. Everyone is perfect. But increased exposure to social media images and perfect photos affects the teens in negative ways. They compare themselves with the other people and end up developing an inferiority complex about the body and self-esteem.

Sexual Behaviour in Teens

The social media sites and apps have been promising to delete all adult content. But they have failed. People are sharing explicit and adult content that reaches to teenagers. This affects the sexual behavior of teens and they tend to be more exposed to sexual content. They see ideal and perfect adult content and their expectations are increasing. Whereas, humans in real life can never be like what is portrayed on social media through images and videos.

Mental Health Problems

A study found out that teens who spend more than two hours a day on social sites are more likely to catch stress and depression issues. Similarly, girls are feeling more depressed and stressed nowadays and that is because of social media. Apart from this, teens also develop other mental health issues that can be avoided by preventing social media use.

What Parents Should Do to Avert Social Media Effects on Teen?

We have talked about the risks, dangers, and effects of social media on the teens. They are in no way safe when it comes to online sites. There is many other sites teen access through social media. All these sites are really harmful to the teenagers and children below 12.

Parents hold the most important responsibility to protect their children from social media sites. Parents should use the cell phone spy to keep eyes on their teens and their social media activities. The app allows parents to check the social media use, browsing history, apps installed on their Android phones, their live GPS locations and all places they have been visiting and keep them safe from the adult content.