The Consequences of Social Media on Students
Social media negatively impacts students’ mental health and overall productivity in school.
By Mia Howell
Social media negatively impacts students’ mental health and overall productivity in school.
By Mia Howell
In the past few months, research has been released on several social media giants, calling them out for their negative impacts on teenagers. Research on the platform TikTok showed that there may be a correlation between TikTok intake and “Tourette-like tics.”
Tourette syndrome is a nervous system disorder involving repetitive movements or unwanted sounds called tics.
A study done at the Johns Hopkins University Tourette’s Center, stated that, “10% to 20% of pediatric patients have described acute-onset tic-like behaviors, up from 2% to 3% a year before the pandemic.”
Research has also been done on Instagram and Facebook that indicated that they have adverse effects on teenagers.
According to slides reported by The Wall Street Journal, 32% of teenage girls surveyed said that when they felt bad about their bodies, Instagram made them feel worse. Furthermore, 14% of boys said that they felt a similar way. According to NPR, internal documents leaked by Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen found that 13.5% of U.K. teen girls said Instagram worsens suicidal thoughts. Another study found that teen girls’ Instagram usage correlated with a 17% increase in eating disorders.
It’s no secret that social media is a major part of our current generation, but whether it’s good or bad is debatable. On Pioneer’s campus, both teachers and students have pointed out the positives and negatives of using social media.
“Dopamine is the drug that’s being released, it’s a ‘feel good drug’ it’s also used in some antidepressants,” said AP Psychology teacher Tim Koring. “So yeah, it leads to an addiction. Now again, most people who gamble aren’t addicted. It sounds weird, but most who do cocaine aren’t addicted, but does it increase the chances of this addictive behavior? Yes it does and it is this rush.”
As for students who are subject to the negative effects of popular social platforms, it has become apparent that their media intake is turning into a bad habit.
“The biggest con of social media is how addictive it is. In quarantine I became reliant on the quick dopamine release when I scrolled through these apps. Being back in person has helped with cutting down on this reliance, but I still struggle with how much of a time suck it is,” said Thomas Jordan, 11.
Social media apps like Instagram and TikTok use algorithms as a way to organize how posts are sorted, in order to ensure that the posts you see are most relevant to you. They tend to send people down rabbit holes and typically prevent people from seeing both sides of things, which some argue takes away from our critical thinking skills. Critical thinking is the analysis of available facts, evidence, observations, and arguments to form a judgment.
“I believe that social media takes away from our critical thinking skills. I think the problem (with social media) is that it plays into our larger stupidity of society. If we were better critical thinkers, if we were better information processors, if we were more willing to listen to people who disagreed with us, then it wouldn’t be such a big deal,” said US history teacher Peter Glasser. “Social media makes it so much easier for morons to find other morons who don’t understand anything, but who will reinforce each other’s opinions. I think social media makes it a lot easier for uneducated, close-minded people to interact and I think that’s dangerous.”
Not only does social media take away from social skills, but it also affects classes. Several teachers have been noticing how much students have been on their phones.
“I work very hard (so that students don’t get distracted by social media) but it’s a constant and exhausting battle for teachers because it just takes so much effort,” said physics teacher Colleen McDonough. “The best I can do is offer an education, but I can’t do the education for the student. At the end of the day it’s the students responsibility to receive and participate and grow from an education. If they choose not to, that’s really on them.”
While some people think that social media is ultimately negative to students, others view it as a way to create connections as well as a form of self expression. In addition, social media on campus has been a way for clubs to connect to students.
“I think social media is a great way to be able to communicate with friends and keep in touch with others who share similar interests. You can talk to people all over the world, and information is accessible at the tip of your fingers,” said Evelyn Nguyen, 10. “The internet may have bad things but it is a great tool overall. I’ve made a lot of friends through the internet, and even met one of them.”
Another aspect of social media that students enjoy is the ability to stay up to date on things that are happening in their friends’ lives, as well as around the world.
“(Social media) is fun. It entertains me. It gives me something to do,” said Ben Kennaday, 9. “I get to see what my friends are doing even when I’m not with them. I can interact with people I probably wouldn’t be able to interact with.”
Social media has its positive and negative impacts with students. While it’s a good way to connect with friends and family, as well as a form of self expression, it also has had a negative effect on the mental health of students.
Tourette syndrome is a nervous system disorder involving repetitive movements or unwanted sounds called tics.
A study done at the Johns Hopkins University Tourette’s Center, stated that, “10% to 20% of pediatric patients have described acute-onset tic-like behaviors, up from 2% to 3% a year before the pandemic.”
Research has also been done on Instagram and Facebook that indicated that they have adverse effects on teenagers.
According to slides reported by The Wall Street Journal, 32% of teenage girls surveyed said that when they felt bad about their bodies, Instagram made them feel worse. Furthermore, 14% of boys said that they felt a similar way. According to NPR, internal documents leaked by Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen found that 13.5% of U.K. teen girls said Instagram worsens suicidal thoughts. Another study found that teen girls’ Instagram usage correlated with a 17% increase in eating disorders.
It’s no secret that social media is a major part of our current generation, but whether it’s good or bad is debatable. On Pioneer’s campus, both teachers and students have pointed out the positives and negatives of using social media.
“Dopamine is the drug that’s being released, it’s a ‘feel good drug’ it’s also used in some antidepressants,” said AP Psychology teacher Tim Koring. “So yeah, it leads to an addiction. Now again, most people who gamble aren’t addicted. It sounds weird, but most who do cocaine aren’t addicted, but does it increase the chances of this addictive behavior? Yes it does and it is this rush.”
As for students who are subject to the negative effects of popular social platforms, it has become apparent that their media intake is turning into a bad habit.
“The biggest con of social media is how addictive it is. In quarantine I became reliant on the quick dopamine release when I scrolled through these apps. Being back in person has helped with cutting down on this reliance, but I still struggle with how much of a time suck it is,” said Thomas Jordan, 11.
Social media apps like Instagram and TikTok use algorithms as a way to organize how posts are sorted, in order to ensure that the posts you see are most relevant to you. They tend to send people down rabbit holes and typically prevent people from seeing both sides of things, which some argue takes away from our critical thinking skills. Critical thinking is the analysis of available facts, evidence, observations, and arguments to form a judgment.
“I believe that social media takes away from our critical thinking skills. I think the problem (with social media) is that it plays into our larger stupidity of society. If we were better critical thinkers, if we were better information processors, if we were more willing to listen to people who disagreed with us, then it wouldn’t be such a big deal,” said US history teacher Peter Glasser. “Social media makes it so much easier for morons to find other morons who don’t understand anything, but who will reinforce each other’s opinions. I think social media makes it a lot easier for uneducated, close-minded people to interact and I think that’s dangerous.”
Not only does social media take away from social skills, but it also affects classes. Several teachers have been noticing how much students have been on their phones.
“I work very hard (so that students don’t get distracted by social media) but it’s a constant and exhausting battle for teachers because it just takes so much effort,” said physics teacher Colleen McDonough. “The best I can do is offer an education, but I can’t do the education for the student. At the end of the day it’s the students responsibility to receive and participate and grow from an education. If they choose not to, that’s really on them.”
While some people think that social media is ultimately negative to students, others view it as a way to create connections as well as a form of self expression. In addition, social media on campus has been a way for clubs to connect to students.
“I think social media is a great way to be able to communicate with friends and keep in touch with others who share similar interests. You can talk to people all over the world, and information is accessible at the tip of your fingers,” said Evelyn Nguyen, 10. “The internet may have bad things but it is a great tool overall. I’ve made a lot of friends through the internet, and even met one of them.”
Another aspect of social media that students enjoy is the ability to stay up to date on things that are happening in their friends’ lives, as well as around the world.
“(Social media) is fun. It entertains me. It gives me something to do,” said Ben Kennaday, 9. “I get to see what my friends are doing even when I’m not with them. I can interact with people I probably wouldn’t be able to interact with.”
Social media has its positive and negative impacts with students. While it’s a good way to connect with friends and family, as well as a form of self expression, it also has had a negative effect on the mental health of students.