If you’re reading this article, chances are that you have access to the internet. The internet gives a person access to almost anything they could need. They can find social media, video games, books, and articles about anything in the world. While most believe that the internet is a positive creation (and in most aspects it is), there are several features of the internet that have a negative impact on society.

One of the controversial parts of the internet is social media. Social media includes apps and programs like Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and Reddit; these apps allow users to chat, send pictures and texts, and call people anywhere on the globe. However, some people claim that these apps are dangerous because they make people, especially teenagers, easily depressed.

Social media is still relatively new

Social media became popular in the early 2000s and saw the birth of Facebook, YouTube, and Reddit. Other social media platforms, like Twitter and Instagram, were released around 2010 to 2013. This means that this generation of teenagers is one of the first to have easy access to social media, and studies on social media are sparse or unreliable. Because of this, there is little information out there to help people address the rise in teen depression and anxiety.

Teens are now more depressed than ever

One problem with social media that everyone agrees on is that it can cause depression and anxiety among teenagers. Many studies also suggest that the causes of the depression are an unmet desire to be closer to friends, cyberbullying, or an obligation to constantly update their social media pages to meet the desires of followers and friends.

The situation couldn’t be any more dire than it already is. However, on top of all that, there is little treatment for such problems. For example, while the number of depressed teenagers grows every year, there is no corresponding rise in the number of therapists that can help those teenagers, and without treatment, depression and suicide rates continue to rise unchecked.

There is also proof that teens using social media tend to have fewer real, intimate relationships with real people and rather a large group of shallow friendships on social media. This may cause problems among teens, like a lack of emotional support. Another problem is privacy, because the majority of people online tend to share their photos and information online, they are exposing themselves to “friends” that they may not have even met in person, which might cause huge privacy risks such as giving away information like your address or phone number to total strangers.

How should people respond to social media risks?

Social media is a serious threat to teenagers, which is why parents and teens should always take care when using social media or electronic devices in general. One way to solve the problem with social media depression is by limiting time spent on a phone or app. This could be achieved through screen time limiting apps or very strong self-control. Furthermore, trying to reach out to old friends or acquaintances could also help in getting over dependency on social media.

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In conclusion, while social media might be a useful way of keeping in touch with friends, it also has some downsides. Social media can cause depression and anxiety among teens, and paired with a lack of studies on the topic and treatment for the problem, social media could become dangerous if screen time is not limited. Social media could also cause a person to have little or no real relationships with other people, causing even more depression among teens. So next time when you decide to check on your social media pages, consider setting yourself a timer and mind what you do online.