7 CONSEQUENCES OF SOCIAL NETWORKS ON YOUNG PEOPLE - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2025

Social networks can have positive and negative consequences on the behavior of children and adolescents. The minds of younger people are prone to being shaped by external agents. This means that what children learn by interacting on the networks can affect the way they think and act.

Social networks provide various benefits and are much more popular than traditional communication methods (letters, texts, calls, among others). The attractiveness of these methods of interaction has meant that in the last decade millions of young people have registered on at least one social network.

The use of these means has brought young people much closer to technology, which is positive in many respects. For example: an individual born in this millennium adapts more easily to technological advances than an individual born in the 1950s.

However, the networks also have negative consequences for young people. The massive nature of this type of platform makes it almost impossible to control the flow of information with which young people interact. This can cause young people to come across content that is inappropriate.

List of consequences that social networks have on young people

The use of social networks is one of the most common activities among children and adolescents today. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr, and YouTube are some of the most popular.

These portals offer a space to communicate, entertain and learn. However, its excessive use can translate into negative consequences for young people.

Here are some positive and negative effects of these platforms.

1- Development of new perspectives

Social networks allow people to express themselves freely. For this reason, they constitute a soup of ideologies.

Through these networks, young people can discuss various topics with people from all over the world. In this way, they will be able to look at problems from different perspectives and see which one best suits their own way of thinking.

In this sense, social networks can represent a means for young people to meet others at the same time as they know themselves.

2- Learning

When used with caution, social media encourages learning in children and adolescents. These platforms allow information to be shared instantly between users.

For example, many Tumblr posts discuss topics whose information is difficult to find on other websites due to the fact that they are very recent problems.

Some users of this network even provide references in which the information can be expanded if desired.

Young people also use the networks to practice new languages ​​that are being learned and to reinforce the linguistic skills of the mother tongue.

3- Young extroverts

Social networks promote communication in children and young people. In addition, they promote freedom of expression. Many children and teenagers create blogs, podcasts, and videos in which they share their experiences, knowledge, and skills.

This can make users more outgoing and more willing to participate in other activities.

4- Understanding of technology

By being more connected, children and adolescents have acquired the necessary tools to understand technology more easily.

5- Indirect communication

The most impressive consequence of social media is that young people are losing their love of direct communication. Instead, they prefer to hold conversations through platforms such as Facebook or Twitter.

This type of indirect communication creates a barrier between the interlocutors. By not being able to hear the nuance in the tone of voice and not being able to see the facial expressions of the person you are speaking with, communication becomes more difficult and interventions can be confusing.

Furthermore, excessive virtual interaction can affect young people's abilities to develop interpersonal relationships.

6- Loss of experiences

Today's young people are specialists in occupying their free time talking on social networks through their electronic devices (cell phones, computers, tablets, among others).

Anyone could tell that before social media existed, young people were also kept busy.

The difference is that before they preferred to go out with their friends and experiment while now they are locked in their rooms, absorbed by the phone, missing the opportunity to share and try new things.

7- Victims of cyber violence

Cyber ​​violence, also called cyberbullying, is a form of harassment that occurs on social media.

The psychologist Donna Wick points out in this regard that through the networks, young people make offensive comments that they would not dare to say face to face.

In addition to this, many young people take advantage of the anonymity offered by these messaging services to annoy their peers.

Cyber ​​violence or bullying is not as common as other types of violence. However, it is a social problem. All young users of social networks are prone to becoming victims of this type of behavior.

Cyberbullying has negative consequences for children and adolescents. Some of these effects include depression, anxiety, exclusion, and in the worst case, suicide.

8- Hyperconnection

With advances in communication technologies, young people are never completely alone. There will always be someone in a social network with whom you can talk. Many young people have more virtual friends than face-to-face, which creates a sense of hyper-connectedness.

In itself, hyperconnection is not negative. The problem arises when young people become overly attached to relationships created through social media.

In these cases, hyperconnection can generate anxiety and stress. Users can present depression pictures if they feel they are being ignored by their virtual friends.

Additionally, hyperconnection can lead to young people needing approval from others on the network. To gain acceptance, children and adolescents may resort to inappropriate practices and engage in destructive behaviors.

References

1. 6 Positive and 4 Negative Effects of Social Media On Children. Retrieved on October 10, 2017, from momjunction.com
2. Barnes, Angela (2012). The Effects of Social Media on Children. Retrieved on October 10, 2017, from sites.ewu.edu
3. Growing Up Wired. Retrieved on October 10, 2017, from ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
4. How Using Social Media Affects Tennagers. Retrieved on October 10, 2017, from childmind.org
5. Screen Time For Children. Retrieved on October 10, 2017, from momjunction.com
6. The Impact of Social Media on Children, Adolescents, and Families. Retrieved on October 10, 2017, from pediatrics.aappublications.org
7. Ways To Prevent Cyberbullying For Kids. Retrieved on October 10, 2017, from momjunction.com.