The Effects of Social Media on Development of Adolescence

Abstract

Social media network usage has increased noticeably during the Covid-19 period according to statistical research. Especially for adolescents between the ages of 13 and 17 who are in search of identity, and both are prone to social interaction and closed to communication, social media use has become more widespread than adults in this period. Young people's demand for social media has made examining the impact areas of social media on adolescents important for the health of the cognitive and emotional development of generations. According to research, social media channels have both negative and positive effects on adolescents in terms of mental health, academic life, and communication skills. There are particularly fundamental points that social media has negative effects on for adolescents such as triggering adolescents' tendency to compare themselves and so strengthening mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety, disrupting sleep routines and creating addiction, causing face-to-face communication skills to deteriorate, and facilitating bullying. Although social media has negative effects on the development of adolescents, there are undeniable advantages using social media for instance, it has wide range of platforms that teenagers can reflect their personalities and reaching wider circles, being able to work in groups in more practic and rapid ways and gaining support groups about the issues they feel lonely or insufficient.