Social media has made it possible for people around the world to stay connected to each other and to stay entertained for over a decade; however, apps such as Tiktok, Snapchat, and Facebook have been proven to have countless negative effects on the well-being of high school students. This particular age group has one of, if not the highest, number of people on social media even though these apps do the most amount of damage to their mental health.

Mental health is a very important thing to maintain, especially in the busy lives of teens. Social media has managed to make their already stressful lives even more daunting. Many studies have linked the use of social media to higher levels of anxiety and depression. The more time that social media is used in daily life, the higher the anxiety and depression of that individual. Social media has also exposed many people to media containing ideas of suicide, self harm, and eating disorders. Poor body image has also been linked to the extensive usage of social media. Those who are on these apps see unrealistic standards, and when they don’t reach these standards, they begin to feel bad about themselves. These bad feelings may start out as just a small issues but can turn into serious problems later in life.

Addiction to social media has also become a large problem. Creators of apps have figured out a way to attach teens to  their phones and  keep them scrolling on apps for as long as they possibly can. When they receive any sort of notification from social media, their bodies release endorphins which make them happy and  encourage them to use  apps more and more in order to receive increased notifications to make them “happy.” Eventually, teens become addicted to this short-term feeling of joy, and become even further infatuated with phones.

Social media can have benefits; however, there are many negative effects that social media can impose on  mental health, particularly for young people. It is important to be aware of these repercussions and to limit  time spent on social media in order to take care of our minds. Life as a high schooler is already stressful.  Creators of social media apps don’t care about  health; rather, they care about making money off the addiction to phones. Remember to be cautious , take care of yourself, and ask for help if you are struggling