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Middle School Resources » Cell Phones & Social Media Awareness

Cell Phones & Social Media Awareness

Social media can have a significant impact on a teenager’s mental health. As a parent, it’s important to understand the potential negative effects and take steps to support your teen. There are A LOT of articles on this topic ... here are a few that summarize the main points:

Preteens’ Social Media Habits Could Be Changing Their Brains

https://www.edweek.org/leadership/preteens-social-media-habits-could-be-changing-their-brains/2023/01

 

How Using Social Media Affects Teenagers

https://childmind.org/article/how-using-social-media-affects-teenagers/ 


Some experts worry that teens are more anxious and have lower self-esteem because of social media and texting. There are key differences to socializing online. Teens miss out on things like body language and facial expressions. This can lead to misunderstandings and hurt feelings. It can also make talking in person feel more intimidating. It is also common for kids to feel bad about themselves when they see everyone online looking perfect. Teens often try to compensate by sharing pictures that make them look perfect, too. Then, when their social media identity doesn’t match how they actually feel, they can end up feeling worse.