By: Serena Li

Many people started using social media more to connect and communicate during the pandemic, especially teens. The Pew Research Center found that 69% of adults and 81% of teens in the U.S. use social media. Social media platforms such as [name a few platforms here] have become a place to share and speak out for everyone’s beliefs and ideas. Even though there are many benefits, there are also many disadvantages of social media.

Using social media for over three hours per day can lead to anxiety and depression, often from comparison to other people. “Even if you remove the likes, there continue to be opportunities for comparisons and feedback. People still can compare themselves to others, and people still can post comments,” said Jacqueline Sperling, PhD, a psychologist at McLean Hospital. This can make people constantly stressed and dejected. A 2018 British study found that social media use before bed decreases, disrupts, and delays normal sleep cycles. This directly correlates to depression, memory loss, as well as poor academic performance.

Most social media apps have complicated privacy settings that determine who can see your posts, date of birth, address and full name, but not many people are very concerned about it, especially teenagers. According to Rawhide Youth Services, only 9% of teens are “very concerned” about privacy on social media sites while 78% of teens said they felt in control of their privacy on social networking sites.

Furthermore, they found that 70% of teens hide their online behavior from their parents and 25% of teens say their parents know little or nothing about what they do online. Almost 30% of teens enter fake information such as a false name, age, or location on their social media accounts to get past age limits or to gain visibility into other peoples’ accounts without them knowing who is actually viewing their account or posts. Some even create multiple social media accounts where their parents know about one account, but not the other where they share content and interact with others.

Overall, the constant comparison and other disadvantages of social media can decrease self esteem. Everyone should practice self-love, self-affirmation, meditation, and some can take a break from social media.