By Jennifer Iraheta-Delcid

Social media has become part of our daily life, consuming most of our time. Since the 2000s, it has extended new possibilities for communication. It has its good effects and bad effects. But it brings many risks if you excessively use social media.

Many platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat have become popular among youth. People normally spend around 2-3 hours of their time on social media. Therefore, These platforms have gained popularity because they allow you to communicate with other people as well as being a way to express yourself, whether in a short video or a story.

However, it’s a source of entertainment while also allowing you to make new friends online. Meeting friends online can be very dangerous at times because you are not sure who is behind the screen and whether they’re a predator or not. Although social media has its benefits, it can cause you to isolate yourself from actually interacting with real-world people and can later result in feelings such as anxiety.

Excessive use is mainly caused by lower psychological well-being. The immoderate consumption of social media is affecting many young people. Possible effects that come with it are low self-esteem, exclusion, bullying, and poor work and/or school production. In fact, social media produces many negative feelings. Recent studies show that people between the ages of 14-24 feel as if social media brings feelings of depression, anxiety, poor body image, and loneliness. Many platforms such as YouTube and TikTok care more about engagement rather than your mental health and the negativity that comes with it. Trends can also influence many young people to do dangerous activities that can lead to death. 

Social Media affects your mental health but it doesn’t mean you can’t use it at all. You just have to be aware of how much of your time it’s consuming. There are many good effects as well as bad but it brings many risks if you excessively use it. Mindfully using it is important to social media consumption.