These days, social media is everywhere you cannot even talk about teenage life without mentioning it,you see From TikTok to Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, and even Facebook (yes, some still use it), social media has become part of their daily routine, Sometimes I wonder how they will survive a full day without touching their phones.
Okay .let"s be real, social media has its good sides ehn?... Some teenagers are using it to make money, learn new things, get exposed to opportunities, and even build connections with people from around the world. Like I have seen young people editing videos like professionals, writing threads with solid knowledge, doing skits, and even building brands for themselves. You will just look and be like, “Wow, this one sabi.”
They also stay informed news spreads faster there than TV or radio. From health to fashion to academics, a teenager can learn almost anything online if they’re serious. So yes, social media helps them grow in certain areas.
But at the same time, I will not lie the pressure on social media is real, and not everybody can handle it, especially adolescents. That age is where you are still trying to find yourself. You are still growing, still discovering who you are, But then you open Instagram and you see people your age driving Benz, wearing designers, flying abroad, and chilling at fancy places.
If you do not have strong mental strength, you will start comparing your life to their own, You will now begin to question yourself, even though most of what you are seeing is not actually not real, Some of these influencers are even renting clothes or lying about their lifestyle,but you would you not know that.
Some teens now feel like they are not enough if they do not get enough likes, comments, or shares, you know that that thing messes with their self-esteem, and it is not good, They start attaching their value to numbers, like how... When the numbers are low, they feel sad or invisible. And the sad part is that many of them can’t even talk about it. They bottle it up.
There is also cyberbullying, you see one small post, one comment, and someone somewhere will find a way to bring you down, Teenagers are still learning how to deal with emotions and you now add public embarrassment on top? It can break someone.
So when people ask me , what I think about the future of these adolescent mental health with all this social media around, truth I get worried sometimes,Yes, they will be more exposed and informed, but if care is not taken, they might grow up too dependent on validation from the internet, they may forget how to connect with people in real life or how to sit with themselves and feel okay, you get that kind of thing, even us as adults sef get too milder with the whole internet thing talk more if teenagers
It is this how they feel, like when there is no internet or when their phone is off, they just feel empty alot of a sudden,like they don’t know who they are again,and it is scary if you ask me
See , Social media is not a bad thing, It is infact a tool and tools are meant to be controlled,not the other way round, The problem starts when the tool starts controlling the user, You see teenagers need balance, they need guidance, they need to be reminded that real life exists outside the screen.
So yeah, I just feel like the way it’s going, if there is no proper control or awareness, social media might do more harm than good to many adolescents. And it is not even about banning it or stopping them it is about teaching them how to use it in the right way and how to still be confident about themselves when offline too.
You see because at the end of the day you can still be online 24/7 and still feel just completely lost.
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