Growing up, I played survival in the forest with my friends, made pies out of mud, and made huts with tree branches. I spent most of my childhood outdoors, with little technology around me, using nature and friends as my outlet. Today, many parents shove a tablet in front of their faces to keep them occupied during the day. The time used on a screen directly affects the growth of their imagination and dependence on technology.
Social media and phones were not introduced to me until I was around the age of 10, which started off as a fun and playful way for people, as well as me, could broadcast their opinions, photos, videos ext. to the world. As I have grown with social media, I have seen it create many positive and negative attributes in this world.
The youth is being directly affected by social media in a negative way. Children are not fully physically or mentally developed which puts them at much higher risk for poor mental health. The teen suicide rate has gone up fifty percent in less than two decades and has created a false reality of the world that they have yet to fully submerge themselves in.Whether I'm out to dinner with my family and friends or we are simply at home watching tv, almost everyone usually has their phones. As a society, our relationship with technology is quite crucial, as most jobs and connections have to do with having a cell phone or a laptop. As we do use our technology in a way where it helps, a lot of the time we can get caught up in taking advantage of the tools we have now. Being so accustomed to having every answer at the tip of your finger holds a lot of power, which we have to make smart decisions. Since we hold the power to utilize our technology how we want to, it is up to us how much we let social media affect us. Personally, having grown up with social media, I, as well as many people I know, have been a victim of anxiety and body image issues, based on social media. Constantly exposing yourself to photoshopped people skews the expectations you have for yourself. Looking a certain way is what social media frequently promotes, which is dangerous to younger viewers, providing them with unrealistic beauty standards.
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