The Problems Accompanying the Use of Social Media by Teenagers

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Today, roughly two billion computers and two billion phones are in use (Mathews). With this, come almost four billion people with the opportunity to use the internet and to connect to social media. Linda Ogbevoen states that “with digital media’s increase in functionality and decrease in price, more and more rely on digital media for work, play, and socializing.” Over the past decade social media has become more and more popular, thus causing it to become part of people’s everyday lives. Along with the widespread of technology today, various people of all ages throughout the world have started to log onto social media sites. The most prominent users of social media have been shown to be adolescents. As a result of the excessive use of social media, adolescents have encountered problems such as internet bullying (“cyberbullying”), privacy concerns, and internet addiction. One of the risks that is often seen throughout social media is cyberbullying. Cyberbullying is known as a way of deliberately using digital media to communicate false, embarrassing, or hostile information about another person (O’Keefe, Clarke-Pearson). Everyday adolescents are given the opportunity to communicate with endless amounts of people online. This opportunity not only enhances the risk of cyberbullying, but also increases the amount of people that can view the cyberbullying. The most common form is known as peer-to-peer cyberbullying. This means that the person being targeted by the act most likely knows their “bully” personally. With the peer-to-peer form being most common, it is often seen that the acts occur offline just as much as they occur online. Dr. Rebecca Mathews conducted a survey as of 2010 asking online users about their experience... ... middle of paper ... ...nue to log onto these websites daily and need to be aware of what could be if you do not avoid certain risks. As an adolescent or an adult these risks can affect your life in more ways than one. Works Cited Lenhart, Amanda. Purcell, Kristen. Smith, Aaron. Zickuhr, Kathryn. “Social Media and Mobile Internet Use Among Teens and Young Adults.” (2010): Pew Research Center. Web. 12 Feb. 2014. Mathews, Rebecca Dr. “The Social and Psychological Impact of Online Social Networking.” (2010): Australian Psychology Society. Web. 12 Fed. 2014. Ogbevoen, Linda. “The Social Impact of Social Networks.” (2012): News at Northwestern. Web. 12 Feb. 2014. Schurgin O’Keefe, Gwen MD. Clarke-Pearson, Kathleen MD. “The Impact of Social Media on Children, Adolescents, and Families.” PEDIATRICS Vol. 127 No. 4 920110: American Academy of Pediatrics. Web. 6 Fed. 2014.

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