Decoding the Relationship Between Social Media and Adolescents

The What

Social media refers to online platforms and tools that allow people to create, share and exchange content, information, and ideas with each other. It enables users to connect and interact with individuals or groups of people from all around the world through various communication channels, such as text, images, videos, and audio. Some examples of social media platforms include Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, TikTok and Snapchat. Social media has become integral to modern communication and has greatly impacted how people interact, share information, and consume media.

The How

Social media has almost become an added family member for most people of all ages and around the world. It has made the world smaller, not in length or breadth but in reach. For the first time ever, people could become a part of each other’s daily lives without ever meeting in person. Social media does not discriminate! People of all religions and from all geographies, also from all genders. Almost all age groups are welcome. So it is a great place to interact, share, earn, and have fun.

The Why

The sheer volume and constant stream of new information keeps everyone always hooked. A study conducted by McAfee in 2022 and published in The Hindu (E-Newspaper) found that Indian children are the youngest to reach mobile maturity among the 10 geographies in which the study was conducted. As per the study, smartphone use in the country among children aged 10-14 is 83%, which is 7% higher than the international average of 76%. The level of concern about cyberbullying and abuse on social media amongst Indian parents was 47%, a full 10% lower than the global average of 57%. Indian parents and children reported leaks of financial information at a higher rate than families worldwide, with parents 9% higher than the 21% average and children 13% higher than the 10% average, according to the survey. Also, the number of Indian children engaging in private conversations without knowing a person’s real identity was a noteworthy 11% higher than for other children around the world, revealed the study titled ‘Life Behind the Screens of Parents, Tweens, and Teens.’

Adolescents, in particular, may find this space they get on social media liberating. They may find it easier to interact with their peers anywhere in the world without having the need to meet personally. It also may give them an opportunity to express themselves uninhibited. Social media is a place where adolescents may let others into their worlds without worrying much about the consequences. The fact that at any given time, anyone anywhere can comment, like/dislike and follow anyone leaves adolescents with little control over who they are interacting with. A few trends observed among adolescents on various social media platforms are:

Virtual Followers instead of Friends: The more, the merrier.

The number of followers determines how popular someone is! Making virtual friends is fraught with risks, so a better alternative is creating profiles that attract followers. The more ‘likes’ one gets, the more popular one is. The lesser-known perils of this trend, yet with far-reaching negative impacts, are getting stalked, abused, trolled, and bullied online; images posted on the platforms can be morphed and used on illegal adult websites and many such.

Creating Groups: Birds of a feather flock together.

Like-minded friends prefer to move in groups. This is possible virtually too. Informal groups are a good way of bonding with each other while being away from each other, sharing information about common interests, or just talking about people outside the groups. These groups can prove to be catalysts in keeping friends connected and become great support systems. On the downside, they can also be a source of negativity, abuse, bullying, and trolling toward one or more group members.

Displaying Creativity and Talent: All the world is my stage.

Various social media platforms like YouTube and Vlogging are now used by teens to showcase their creativity and talent through posts on traveling, performing arts, photography, pets, hobbies, DIYs, and so on. Creative teens are using Instagram to connect with those passionate about photography and videos. This may also attract many unwanted followers; nevertheless, keeping one’s profile private may help.

A source of infotainment:

Social media has become a go-to source for searching for information, usually related to academics, hobbies, volunteering, and so on. Customization through various apps is another frequently done activity. The easy availability of information has made children and adolescents independent and many times a reliable source of knowledge for parents!

Weaponizing Social Media: Anyone can post anything!

As useful as it may seem, social media can be used as a powerful weapon to destroy someone you don’t like. It can be a teacher, a classmate, an ex-boyfriend or girlfriend, a next-door neighbour fighting with you constantly, a girl/boy in your class who doesn’t reciprocate your romantic advances, and so on. It is a popular misconception, especially among young users of social media, that their activity cannot be traced back to them, and even if it does, it is not punishable. However, there are various sections in the Indian Penal Code to restrict, deter, and punish such activities.

Social Media and Mental Health

Social Media Dependency: A Myth or a Fact?

According to Paul G. Simeone, Ph.D., Vice President and Medical Director of Behavioural Health at Lee Health, “There’s growing evidence to suggest that some individuals can develop a dependency on social media that’s not unlike an addiction to alcohol or drugs.” He further states that over-dependence on social media may resemble symptoms that are typically associated with substance-use disorders. Persistent use of social media, the need to stay updated at all times, and experiencing and manifesting irritation due to being unable to use social media may all be signs of a possible addiction. Studies conducted worldwide suggest that using social media can lead to physical and psychological addiction because it triggers the brain’s reward system to release dopamine. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that is all about feeling good, novelty, and excitement. It puts us in a state of readiness and anticipation. For many users, social media increases the dopamine in their brains when they scroll social media platforms. A simple notification of a like, comment, or retweet sends a flood of dopamine and passes it along reward pathways.

Teenagers undergo many physiological changes during adolescence, and hormones wreak havoc on their systems. This may be one reason why teenagers resort to excessive usage of social media. It may serve as an easy, handy, and effective coping mechanism most of the time. The likes, views, and positive comments activate the cycle of motivation, reward, and reinforcement, or the “dopamine loop.”

Since all of the social media is available to access in the palm of your hand, it is a convenient escape for all those who feel stuck in an undesirable situation. Scrolling through a never-ending stream of reels, videos, and messages can also be a “much-needed” distraction to avoid conflicts, disagreements, and interpersonal issues rather than resolve them. When social media users repeat this cyclical pattern of relieving undesirable moods with social media use, the level of psychological dependency on social media increases. Unfortunately, there are no clinical diagnostic criteria for social media addiction, hence the unavailability of a diagnosis for this condition.

What’s social media got to do with it?

The connection between excessive and indiscriminate usage of social media and its adverse effects on users’ mental health, especially adolescents, has been studied worldwide. Research related to this has linked the use of social media usage to several mental health issues like anxiety, poor sleep quality, lower self-esteem, inattention, and hyperactivity in adolescents.

Some of the reasons why the impact of social media may lead to disastrous effects on the physical and mental health of adolescents are:

Inability to regulate screen time.
Difficulty in identifying potential threats due to lack of life-experiences.
Attaching extreme degrees of emotions to others’ responses.
Lack of boundaries in sharing information with strangers.
Risk-taking behaviours without anticipating possible consequences (FOMO-Fear of Missing Out, access to inaccurate content, falling prey to online predators, etc.).
Lack of resilience when confronted with trolling, abuses, and criticism.
Inability to deal with peer-pressure effectively.
Frequent online expressions of offline behaviours such as bullying, clique-forming, and sexual experimentation.

How to avoid Social Media Addiction?

Switching from the virtual to the real

Acceptance is the key to change. For most adolescents, their journey of social media detox begins and ends with their inability to accept that they are indeed dependent on social media for emotional gratification. A few ways in which this process can be taken further and lead to reducing the dependence are:

Knowing that the process is gradual and change will not come overnight- It is important to understand that this process of switching to healthy use of social media from dependency is gradual. It will take time, so the brain must be eased into it.
Use an alarm clock to wake you up – Instead of using your phone as an alarm, use an actual alarm clock. It is handy and does not start your day with a screen.
Turn off notifications- Notifications keep us hooked to our phones. So let them go. Turning off notifications will help your mind notice your immediate physical environment instead of getting pulled into the screen.
Stick to one device at a time- Refrain from using your phone while watching television or using your laptop. This will also help you remain focused on one single thing at a time.
Avoid using the phone as an escape from undesirable situations- Participating not just by being present but also engaging in conversations where required is important to learn the nuances of social etiquette. Constantly checking your phone while in the middle of a conversation is rude.

Parents can help a bit too!

Lead by example: Kids follow parents in their actions, words, attitudes, and behaviours. So some self-regulation with screen time and over-engagement on social media platforms by parents can help children imitate appropriate behaviours. The balance between online and offline can be a behaviour modeled by parents.
Real-world activities: Encourage kids and teens to engage in activities with family and friends in the real world. They can go to the movies, a local park, or a public pool or even make video calls to friends and family who are far away.
Create phone-free zones: Designate a specific place or two in the home to be 100% phone-free. This can be the dinner table to encourage mealtime conversation or the bedroom to support healthy bedtime habits.
Make it a game: Rather than penalizing kids for too much social media use, you can incentivize them to use less. With tracking apps like Social Fever and StayFree, you can see just how much time you and your family spend on social media.
Take a break: You and your family can try social media detox together. You simply set an amount of time you’ll be taking a break from social media and stick to it, kids included.

Adolescence is a period of significant change that occurs between childhood and adulthood. Here are some major changes that typically occur during adolescence:

Physical changes: Adolescence is marked by significant physical changes, including growth spurts, the development of secondary sexual characteristics, changes in body composition, and the onset of puberty.
Cognitive changes: Adolescents develop greater abilities for abstract thinking, decision-making, and problem-solving. They also develop more complex reasoning skills and a greater capacity for critical thinking.
Emotional changes: Adolescents experience significant emotional changes, including increased emotional intensity and variability, heightened self-consciousness, and greater social sensitivity.
Social changes: Adolescents develop greater independence from their families and begin to form relationships with peers. They also begin to develop their own identities and values.
Behavioral changes: Adolescents may experiment with new behaviors like risk-taking or substance use. They may also experience changes in their sleep patterns, eating habits, and exercise routines.
Brain development: Adolescence is a time of significant brain development, including the growth and pruning of neural connections and the development of executive function skills such as planning, decision-making, and impulse control.
Identity formation: Adolescents begin to form their own identities, including their sense of self, beliefs, values, and goals. This process is influenced by both internal factors, such as biological changes and psychological development, and external factors, such as family, peers, and culture.

Armed with a complete understanding of adolescence and with an empathetic outlook, parents can deal with the following challenges that many adolescents face:

Peer pressure.
Fear of Missing Out (FOMO).
Frustration and negativity arising from rejection or comparison to peers.
Cyberbullying.
Stalking.

More extreme conditions that require medical and psychotherapeutic interventions are listed below:

Depression.
Sleep disorders.
Eating disorders.
Self-harm.
Suicidal Thoughts/attempts or both.
Sexual abuse/exploitation.