The world at the moment lives in a growing age of technology and social media, making connections and communicating with one another easier than ever.

In 2017, over 80% of the U.S. had a social media profile. However, that statistic is a five percent raise from last year’s survey, with teenagers as the main demographic.

How Social Media Affects Teens

Everywhere you look, it seems that a teenager is invested in whatever they are reading or scrolling through on a screen, sitting with a group of friends doing the same thing, or taking multiple selfies. What may seem like ordinary circumstances actually has an underlining problem: social media puts teenagers’ mental health at risk without them even realizing it.

This is how social media affects a teen’s mental health:

Social media promotes an unhealthy need for validation

A common feature of social media is the ability to “like” another person’s post. According to a consumer study from RadiumOne, a media-buying firm, it was found that receiving a “like” triggered the production of dopamine, the “feel good” chemical in the brain, because the action encouraged the effort to strive for the attention and feeling of importance through the eyes of other people. If a user did not receive multiple “likes” from followers, the lack of approval from others could negatively influence their self-esteem and confidence, thus putting them at risk for suffering depression. This also makes one feel separated and out of the loop from others who receive from “likes” in social media which fosters feelings of isolation.

Opens the door for cyberbullying and harassment

The ability to hide behind a screen opened the door for people to cyberbully and harass others. If an individual had ill intentions to berate, threaten, or insult someone online, they do not have to endure the consequences that would occur in a face-to-face confrontation.

Additionally, humiliating or hurting someone can also be exploited for the sake of attention. As a result, teenagers who are victims of these situations ultimately feel threatened, are prone to suffering anxiety, substance abuse to cope with the impacts of the what is said from the digital attacks, suicidal behaviors, and even suicide itself. There have been many instances where this has been the case, which is becoming a growing problem in the nation.

Social media creates a disconnection from reality

One of social media’s purposes is to enable users to share content, such as pictures and videos, with others. However, this cultivates the problem of feeling the need to constantly portray life as perfect and compare the quality of their lives to that of others. Very rarely do social media users posts content that illustrates anything less than a highlight reel of their best selves, which thus distorts perceptions of reality in a viewer. It’s a vicious cycle for a teenager. First, viewing another’s profile full of fun and exciting photos. Next, feeling insecure about the things they do or do not partake in within their own lives. Lastly, attempting to create a perfect scenario for a picture, posting it, and negatively affecting one more person with the same mindset.

Becomes a gateway for technology addiction

Social media can only be accessed through one thing: technology. Both co-exist with one another, making technology just as addictive as its social media counterpart. Just like the satisfaction of receiving a “like,” hearing a phone buzz to indicate a notification sends a surge of dopamine through our brain.

Moreover, almost every teen today has a smartphone that enables them to consume any type of media at the tip of their fingers – and studies show they consume the media mentioned above for roughly nine hours. If addicted to both technology and social media simultaneously, teenagers are more at risk for developing multiple health issues: psychologically, socially, and physically. Common problems include developing poor social skills, creating unrealistic expectations for life circumstances, and vision issues.

Despite social media’s negative influences on the mental health of teenagers, it’s up them to determine whether or not negative influences will always be the case. The best way for teenagers to approach social media is to use it in moderation and educate themselves on the potential consequences it can have on their mental health.