Essay

Hi there!

Today I wrote an essay with my friend! Here we go :)

Fatharani Fathin A (20) 

Raden Ramadhaniqo A (33)

Do You Think Social Media Is Good For Teens?

Social media platforms are very popular among teenagers such as Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, Instagram, Pinterest, Snapchat and TikTok. It is a big part of many young people’s social and creative lives. Teenagers use social media to have fun, make and maintain friendships, share interests, explore identities and develop relationships with family. It’s an extension of their offline and face-to-face interactions. For older teenagers especially, it’s often a key part of how they connect with friends.

Social media can connect them to online global communities based on shared interests. These might be support networks, for example, for young people with disability or medical conditions or children from particular cultural backgrounds. They also might be sites for commenting on and sharing content about particular interests like games, TV series, music or hobbies.

For these few years, many teens said that social media is mostly gaves them positive impact. The new research is shedding light on the good things that can happen when teens connect, share and learn online. Here are some of the benefits of teens being social-media-savvy:

1. It lets them do good

2. It strengthens their friendships

3. It offers sense of belonging

4. It helps them express themselves

5. It provides genuine supports

But besides that, social media can also have a bad impact on teenagers. Include exposure to inappropriate content, cyberbullying and data breaches. Here are some of bad impact / disadvantages of teens using social media:

1. Being exposed to inappropriate or upsetting content, like mean, aggressive, violent or sexual comments or images.

2. Uploading inappropriate content, like embarrassing or provocative photos or videos of themselves or others.

3. Sharing personal information with strangers – for example, phone numbers, date of birth or location.

4. Cyberbullying

5. Exposure to too much targeted advertising and marketing.

6. Data breaches, like having their data sold on to other organisations.

According to the study, more than 81% of teens think that social media is helping them to be more connected to their friend’s lives, while 69% think that social media helps them interact with a more diverse group of people.

In conclusion, the teens think social media is helping them. About 68% of teens responding to the study said that social media makes them feel like they have people that will support them during tough times.