Adolescents and social media - how it affects mental health

The state of our mental health plays a significant role in shaping our lives, how we view ourselves, and to a great extent, our success stories. Our mental health includes our emotions, social lifestyle and the psychological aspect of our life and it's even more crucial in the lives of the adolescents because at this stage of their life they are still being groomed as to how to handle all these emotions along with the natural development that comes with adolescence.

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Social media is a beautiful innovation even for adolescents if handled right. As we know, social media has helped bridge the gap of distances between continents, making it easier to communicate and adapt to lifestyle of interest. It's a form of exposure that takes you places right on screen, which is a good thing.

When it comes to education, social media has also been helpful with different content on how to solve simple equations or some useful hacks that make life easier.

Even with all the mentioned positive remarks, it also has its negative sides. We can see how immoral dressing is promoted through social media and how our adolescents are coarse to believe that it's the norm. Even dating and as far as having sex between two adolescents just because they saw someone around their age who does same and they want to follow suit because it's promoted as the normal way of life on social media.

Also, the peer pressure from friends and fake lives promoted on social media that have pushed our young ones to do the unbelievable just to belong, including having unrealistic expectations.

When I compare the advantages with the disadvantage, I conclude that if no proper restrictions are put in place to help and guide our adolescents to the positive side of social media and how they can use it to impact their lives and become better then it will get to a point when they will have to battle with low self esteem and anxieties when they can't meet up to the standards of those they relate with and look up to on social media.

They can also become addicted to it, not being able to do anything without scrolling and checking for updates and latest trends. This can cause sleepless nights and restlessness, which is bad for their mental health.

WHAT CAN BE DONE

Parents should endeavor to have a close relationship with their adolescents and make them see them as their best friends because that is when they will be able to express themselves openly to their parents and get the needed guidance when going on the wrong path or being influenced by their peers wrongly.

Parents should also endeavor to set screen time limits and be strict about it. If possible, they should know the kind of friends their adolescents keep and who they look up to as role models as these will have great influence on their choices and lifestyles.

This is my entry to this week #scifimultiverse #prompt #smp-w23.

I would like to know your thoughts on this. Regards and many thanks from @kachy2022 😊❤️❤️