Written by the Staff of The Knight's Post
Since its creation, social media has been a force for both good and bad. From a positive sense, it has allowed people to communicate more quickly and more efficiently. However, social media use has also been correlated with higher rates of poor negative mental health and negative self image.
As an editorial staff, we believe It is important to acknowledge the dangers of social media to protect people from developing a dangerous addiction to it, hurting or endangering themselves, and to stop the spread of online hate and cyberbullying. People need to know that apps and social media they use can be extremely harmful to them, and they need to be aware of the dangers of social media. If people start to pay more attention to mental health, then we can start to fix the issues and decrease mental health problems across the country and world. Students deserve to know the risks of social media as well as the benefits.
In our discussions, we looked at multiple sources that focused on how social media affects self-image. A survey in Ontario found from the years of 2013- 2017 stated that moderate to serious mental distress increased from 24% to 39% at the time of social media’s development. Furthermore, sources showed that multiple studies discussed how filters play a role in how people see themselves. Users can get hope from filters seeing what is possible for themselves if they have low self-confidence. But, it can also tear people down and they may see that they can make small changes to “improve” their image. Social media and filters can cause people anxiety, depression, suicidal thoughts (or suicide), body dysmorphia, or even people to consider cosmetic surgery.
Greenfield students should care about this issue because it could be affecting you and you should be aware of the things people are discovering. If students are more aware of how they are being affected by social media, they will be more aware of how they are using it. If students are not aware of these risks, they could worry about their body image and could lower self-esteem. We should not let social media control our lives and be aware that sometimes we let it. When we are aware, we are more able to stand up against it and prevent it.
Although social media can affect the way that we see ourselves, it is a great way to keep in touch with friends and family that live farther distances away. Social media can be used as a great tool to keep in touch with the people that we want to as long as it is used in the proper ways. If it is not, then it can be a very destructive force that can affect everything that we think of ourselves.
The Knights Post staff encourages you to think about the role that social media has in your life, and to reach out to a trusted adult if you feel that your life has been negatively impacted by it.
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