Social Media's Effects On Teenagers In The United States

Throughout the last fifty years the use of the internet has drastically changed. In 1970 there was only an estimated 100,000 computers in use in the United States with only a few of them being “networked” (Schell). Now the nearly 2.5 billion active internet users can do practically everything on their computers, “Today it is possible to order groceries or have food delivered, maintain friendships, debate politics, science, or religion, or meet and date potential romantic partners entirely on the web” (Ferguson). Especially now with social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, more teenagers are living in a digital world than in the real world. “Social media is a general term for both Web based and mobile technologies that facilitate social interaction online” (Longe). Just by walking outside in a public place you will notice how many people are glued to their cell phones or tablets not paying any attention to anything going on around them. Social media creates lasting problems for teenagers in the U.S. They do not realize that they have an addiction, are possibly developing sleep disturbances and mental health problems, that social media is preventing them from making and maintaining real life …show more content…
There are a lot of “neighborhood groups” where people will go on and inform others of a car accident on a street or a burglary in the neighborhood. This seems to be an extremely positive effect of social media use. However, this information should not be used as an only source of information. “Social networks serve to disseminate information, but the validity of this information cannot always be verified. Thus, social media can be used to spread rumors, propaganda, and misleading information” (“Social Networking Pros and Cons”). Not everything that is on the internet is true and a lot of people have a hard time differentiating the truth from the