Social media is killing teenagers' brains

Brandon Gomez

Social media has become a regular part of teenagers' daily lives. Almost every teen uses it, but it is not as good as everyone thinks. It introduces a lot of problems, such as stress, comparison, cyberbullying, and addiction. Even though some people say that it helps teens connect, I think social media does more harm than good, especially to young brains that are still developing.

One of the biggest problems in social media is comparison. Young people go onto apps such as Instagram and TikTok, and see people living “picture-perfect” or “aesthetic” lives. Most of the posts or stories are not even real because they are edited or staged to give that impression. This makes teens feel like their own lives are not good or entertaining enough. This creates a comparison problem and can lead to low self-esteem. According to the American Psychological Association, it says; “Adolescent brain development generally starts before puberty, around age 10, and lasts through early adulthood.” This quote fortifies the idea that teenagers are still developing, so social media can affect them more than adults.

Social media also causes pressure and addiction. Teens feel like they always have to be online, checking messages, likes, and posts. If you are not on social media nowadays, you are left out. I strongly believe this is not good because it only causes more stress. Adding on, many of these young people (including myself) tend to stay up late on their phones, even when they are tired, which affects their sleep and lives.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) explains, “Children and adolescents who spend more than three hours a day on social media face double the risk of mental health problems, including experiencing symptoms of depression and anxiety.” This goes to show that too much time on the phone is unhealthy, and it affects the victim’s mental health in a serious manner.

Cyberbullying is also another problem. Before technology was advanced, bullying was just in school or with specific people. Now, in our modern society, it can follow you on your phone. People can send messages with malicious intent, spread rumors about you, or try to embarrass one another. This is arguably worse than regular bullying because it is a never-ending cycle, and people usually cannot avoid it. And for the most part, once something is up and posted, it will stay like that forever. This can definitely lead to stress and mental health problems.

Furthermore, Social media affects adolescents' brain development. Teenagers are still developing life skills and self-control. Apps like Instagram and TikTok are designed for never-ending scrolling, with likes and notifications. Instagram used to have features to counter this “never-ending scrolling.” They previously had a feature that showed you a message that says “You’re all caught up.” This feature was designed to inform you that you have seen all the posts from the last two days from people you follow. According to rumors and a Reddit post, some users have reported that this feature has quietly disappeared and that they have been scrolling for longer periods as a result. 

User PODNJPE from Reddit shares that “Yes, [it's been gone for] three days in a row. I was scrolling for over an hour.” Adding on, going to the top and refreshing gives you a whole new category of videos. I feel like this is why it is so addictive. I, too, am a victim of these designs and systems. It basically trains your brain to want that constant hit, that constant dopamine, instead of focusing that energy into real-life goals like school, sports, or your job.

People do say that social media is good because it helps you stay connected with family, friends, and more. I do agree with that, but I still think social media has more negative effects than positive ones. Real-life friendships are more important than likes and comments. Teenagers who spend too much time on the phone will likely miss out on real-life experiences and in-person communication skills.

All in all, I believe that social media is hurting teenagers more than helping them. It always gives the common problems such as addiction, sleep deprivation, stress, comparison, cyberbullying, and mental health problems. I interviewed my friend Abraham Hernandez (Senior at RHS), and he shared that “I feel like there's a lot of addictive apps… like TikTok, and Instagram, and people just [end up] doomscrolling, it's addicting."

Even though its original intent is to socialize, share your experiences, and more, the misuse of social media affects people negatively most of the time, rather than positively. I get that there are advantages to having social media, but the risks cannot just be ignored. Teenagers should put in some effort to try to lower their screen time and focus more on real-life tasks. If not, it will keep affecting their brains in a negative way over time.