Social Media and Addiction

SOCIAL MEDIA AND ADDICTION

A recent report found that the average screen time of teenagers is 8 hours 39 mins each day followed by 5 and a half hours for pre-teen children. What can be the reason for children spending almost one-third of their day scrolling on social media while a working human spends the same amount of time working for their family? Not only children, but the average screen time of an adult person is also more than 6 hours! Have we not seen a small kid hardly 6-7 years old crying and not eating food until he/she is given a phone to watch reels by the parents?

Social media refers to the means of interaction among people where they create, share, and exchange information and ideas in virtual communities and networks. The big social media platforms that exist currently are - Facebook , YouTube , Instagram , TikTok , Reddit , Discord , X (earlier known as Twitter) , Snapchat , Whatsapp , Telegram , Pinterest and many more. Let us take the example of Instagram. According to Meta, Instagram’s parent company, Instagram has 2 billion monthly active users out of which 31% fall in the age group 18-24 followed by 30% who fall in the age group 25-34. On the other hand, TikTok receives a consistent 1 billion monthly active users out of which 34.8% fall in the age group 18-24 followed by 34% who fall in the age group 25-34. So we can see from these two examples that these companies mainly focus on teenagers and young adults. These platforms can be used resourcefully but an average teenager is already mentally and physically affected by the hormonal changes and experiences in life which ultimately leads to them getting trapped In the fake world of social media. The shocking part is the fact that the age groups affected by social media are the ones who are going to be the main working force of the country. Addiction to social media can be looked upon by various side effects. To a person, social media often portrays a fake image of life. A social media addict becomes a socially awkward person who avoids face-to-face conversation because that is what social media has made him/her believe life is. Time wastage, privacy concerns, cyberbullying, falling into scams, anxiety, and isolation are the most common side effects.

Social media is like a two-edged sword because it proves to be advantageous and useful, but at the same time can be greatly misused because of addiction and secondly by antisocial elements who have started using it for carrying out criminal activities which is abuse of this otherwise useful platform.

One is exposed to inappropriate content on social media. Social media addicts can get addicted to this type of inappropriate content where usually women are objectified which shapes their mindset in a very wrong way and it leads to them eventually becoming criminals.                                                                                                                                                              Social Media is the biggest reason why people are so misinformed in today’s scenarios. It is quite easy to get brainwashed and views being shaped quite literally extremely wrongly by social media influencers.

Young minds are deeply affected by the different negative impacts social media addiction has on them.  It leads to mental illness, insecurities,  distraction, lack of empathy, and sleep deprivation.

This excessive use often disrupts sleep patterns, hampers academic performance, and stifles creativity. Additionally, constant exposure to unrealistic standards and cyberbullying can negatively impact their self-esteem and mental health.

Countries like Australia to battle this situation have taken several steps. In Australia, social media for children below the age of 16 is banned.

Ultimately it is very important for each and every individual to avoid too much exposure to social media. We should always remember that social media, if used resourcefully and wisely can prove to be very fruitful, we should never become a slave to a machine.