By Sean Garvey, Richard Spangler, Aaron Monroe
Teens and cell phones seem to go hand-in-hand nowadays. The two are said to be inseparable and go everywhere together. The generations before complain about their seeming magnetic quality and control they have over their children and grandchildren. But that device holds a world of information and experiences that were unheard of before their creation. The leader of most media uses by teens is controlled by social media. Made up of different platforms that each hold a different place in the market, there’s Instagram where people can post pictures for all their followers to see and like- snapchat which has almost replaced texting just by having the text be accompanied by a picture of the person’s face-last Tik Tok where everyone can post short videos about everything from comedy sketches to trick shots. Teens are infatuated by social media but due to this seeming addiction it begs the question. What kind of effects does it have on teens’ physical, emotional, and mental well-being?
How teens see themselves is a constant struggle between; too big and too skinny; too tall and too short: and how their hair looks. The internet hasn’t helped that very much, we are more connected than ever. However, with that connection comes down sides. Now every teen can see what the ideal body type is that companies push out. While this affects both genders and all age groups it has most notably hit the female gender. It started with ads in magazines and on billboards and exploded when social media blew up. Now every girl wishes and tries to get the so-called “Perfect Body” which in reality is almost impossible to get. The perception of female body image has gotten even worse throughout the years. In a study done that compared average female body weights and the females found in ads “researchers found that between 1959 and 1978, average female weights in the general population increased, while the women appearing in the media were actually getting thinner” (Bozsik Bennet 2018). This relationship should be direct, not inversely proportional. While promoting unhealthy skinny bodys is never ok the companies pushing their products to women on social media should be looking and changing for the better and healthy body ideal not the other way around.
But at the same time some companies use the fitness and healthy lifestyle trend to their advantage.
“In promoting muscularity, these images seem to be promoting healthy exercise. But analyses of the text accompanying the images have found that they often include guilt-inducing messages that focus on body image (e.g. “Suck it up now, so you don’t have to suck it in later”).
In fact, one study has shown that an overwhelming percentage (72 percent) of these posts emphasize appearance, rather than health (22 percent)”.(Bozsik Bennet 2018)
Now while they seem to be promoting a healthy lifestyle on the surface they are still peddling the same age old standard of you have to be thin to be the best body type. Teens have bought into this sometimes starving themselves to ensure they don’t gain those few extra pounds. Platforms like Instagram,Tik Tok and Snapchat are this generation’s kryptonite. Where fit skinny teens blow up and become overnight celebrities, earn millions off each bikini and late night clubbing picture they post. While they can’t change how their body looks and they aren’t trying to push their body type on teen girls the fact that they get attention and millions of likes and follows does as much damage as anything. This causes young girls to think they have to look like them to be popular and separates generations into the haves and the have nots. Every teen wants to be accepted so they often go through hurtful trends and eat and drink weird drinks and teas that promise to give them that perfect body. Often leading to harmful results.
The results that they can get from working out and dieting they turn to more medical means. More and more teens are open to the thought of getting procedures to change their looks, so they can look how they want to. This perception stemming from the use of editing apps where with a click of a button teens can get rid of pimples, change their nose shape, and even their eye color. “ In 2014, more than 160,000 teens ages 13 to 19 had cosmetic minimally invasive procedures, such as chemical peels, injectables and laser skin resurfacing, and more than 63,000 had surgical ones, such as nose reshaping or breast augmentation, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons”.(Schaefer 2017).
As a teen constantly on their phone; it’s easy to get caught up in the never ending web of social media influencers. Whether it’s the mansions, the million dollar foreign cars, or designer clothes; I’ve found myself intertwined in the lives of these random rich people. And it doesn’t just stop bragging millionaires; sports, news, and comedy pages are just a few of the thousands of different genres of social media offered to today’s tech savvy generation. But these time consumers come at a cost. According to PEW Research Center’s Anderson and Jiang (2018), 95% of U.S teens in 2018, ages 13-17 have had a phone or access to one; and of these teens 24% of them say that the effect that social media has on them is mostly negative (p. 2-3). This may seem like a small number but considering that 45% of teens say that the effect has been neither positive nor negative; and only 31% say that it has had a positive impact; it is still a large amount of today’s teens that are negatively affected by social media. Some of these negative impacts are mental and aren’t physically noticed; such as depression or dissatisfaction with your own life. For instance, when I was talking about the “bragging millionaires” earlier; when people see these “influencers” lives compared to theirs it could motivate them to make their life better; or it could make them take a deeper look into their own life. Even if that influencer does motivate you; you still have that insight into your own life that makes you rethink it. After you see that post of their Lamborghini, and their 5 story mansion, you might look around at your 2013 Chevy Sonic, and your two story house and think to yourself, “Why don’t I have it like them?” These mental concerns are some of the most dangerous and in more serious cases can lead to suicide.
Another impact that social media can have on teens is addiction. In another study by PEW Research Center’s Anderson and Jiang (2018) it states that 45% of teens say that they are online almost constantly (p. 21). Not only does this lead to addiction, but in turn addiction causes sleep deprivation. For example, binge watching is what a lot of people (not just teens) suffer from daily. It’s so much easier to watch “just one more episode” then do your homework. I know from personal experience that realizing in the middle of the night that there is a homework assignment due the next day is one of the scariest things I’ve ever experienced. Having 2 hours of sleep each night is getting too routine for me and plenty of other teens around the world; and one of the biggest factors can be attributed to our addiction to our phones.
And the trickle-down effect doesn’t stop there. This brain melting addiction can in some cases lead to anxiety through FOMO; or fear of missing out. According to helpguide.org’s article Social Media and Mental Health, “FOMO can compel you to pick up your phone every few minutes to check for updates… Even if that means taking risks while you’re driving, missing out on sleep at night, or prioritizing social media interaction over real world relationships” (Robinson & Smith, 2020, p.7). Earlier in the article they go on to describe that this idea of FOMO can impact your self-esteem and trigger anxiety. To explain further, if you are constantly thinking about what is on your phone not only will you be stressing about that; but that stress will lead to more fear of missing out on other non-social-media issues – such as school or family problems.
However, social media can have its advantages. Personally, it’s a relief to get home, hop online and play videogames. For me and plenty of other people; videogames serve as a sort of escape from our daily lives. However, this does not mean that the information that teens are putting out can’t be stolen.
Young People today have grown up in an incredibly unique environment where information, and communication exist like they never have before. The ability to send and receive information across the globe seems almost magical. But unfortunately with this new age of communication comes a new age of threats to the information of anyone who is unaware of its repercussions if handled incorrectly.
When one often thinks of scams on the internet, they often think of the classic sketchy email that intrigues you with the promises of herbal Sildenafil. But with the advancement of social media, and how it has become increasingly easier to remain anonymous on the internet the threats to young people continue to grow. Despite these new risks young people continue to carry on recklessly online. When one typically thinks of someone who would fall for an online scam, you would assume that the more tech savvy generation would be less likely to fall for a fraudulent website. But according to the federal trade commission people aged 20-39 are twenty five percent more likely to report money lost in online scams. The desperate and often appealing promises of these websites have taken advantage of the oftentimes trusting nature of young people on the internet.
Sometimes the biggest enemy of young people online is not just scammers trying to make a quick buck, but themselves. Whenever you talk about putting something on the internet, you are always warned that once you hit send, there is no taking it back. Which are words of wisdom that young people tend to forget. An embarrassing photo, or something that you thought was going to stay between you and someone else can come back to haunt you. A study by Kaspersky Labs found that 61 percent of people ages 16-24 “were most likely to share private and sensitive photos of themselves with others”. It is not just the embarrassment of a revealing photo that could hurt you, but anything such as evidence of underage drinking, and drug consumption that people such as future employers, and colleges can see has the possibility to harm you. When applying to colleges, admission officers look at many different aspects of applicants to see if they should be admitted into their given school, which can include various social media accounts. According to Kaplan as of 2020, it was found that 36% of college admission officers check incoming students’ social media when reviewing applications. It is easy to feel as if something is gone forever when it disappears down your instagram feed, But on the internet nothing is truly lost forever, and someone with a sharp enough eye has the ability to determine your future.
Social Media will never truly disappear it has simply become a part of how we as humans communicate. As we continue to go forward into this digital landscape we must remember to take a step back and to not allow ourselves to become truly consumed by it. It is no doubt beneficial, it connects billions of people across the globe who may have never had the chance to meet each other in the real world. But with this communication we must recognize that with this large scale connection we also risk large scale disinformation and that, as the saying goes, don’t believe everything you read on the internet.
The collaborative Op-Ed above was written by Nordonia High School seniors enrolled in College Writing 1, a dual-enrollment course with college credit awarded through Kent State University. The views expressed are of the students and not necessarily of Nordonia High School.
Works Cited
Bozsik, Frances, and Brooke L. Bennett. “The ideal female body type is getting even harder to attain. ” Gale Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection, Gale, 2020. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/KZGBCD102012902/OVIC?u=lnoca_nordonia&sid=OVIC&xid=f4b6627a. Accessed 13 Nov. 2020. Originally published as “The ideal female body type is getting even harder to attain,” The Conversation, 26 Mar. 2018.
Schaefer, Kayleen. “Girls Are Taking Drastic Measures To Achieve the Perfect Instagram Snap.”
Gale Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection, Gale, 2020. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/ZDPKRV953665122/OVIC?u=lnoca_nordonia&sid=OVIC&xid=c290b616. Accessed 12 Nov. 2020. Originally published as “Girls Are Taking Drastic Measures To Achieve the Perfect Instagram Snap,” Teen Vogue, 20 Oct. 2015.
Anderson, M. Jiang J. (2018, May, 31). Teens, Social Media & Technology. Pew Research Center.
https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2018/05/31/teens-social-media-technology-2018/
Robinson, L. Smith, M. (2020, September). Social Media and Mental Health. HelpGuide.
https://www.helpguide.org/articles/mental-health/social-media-and-mental-health.htm
“Young People Most at Risk of Sharing Personal Information Online.” Education Journal, no. 306, June 2017, p. 18. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=cookie,ip,custuid&custid=infohio&db=aph&AN=123462706&site=ehost-live&scope=site.
Fletcher, Emma. “Not What You Think: Millennials and Fraud.” Federal Trade Commission, FTC, 10 Jan. 2020, www.ftc.gov/news-events/blogs/data-spotlight/2019/10/not-what-you-think-millennials-fraud.