Effects of Social Media Use on Teenagers

◎供稿：Juno

社交媒體就在我們身邊，無(wú)論我們多么試圖忽視它，它已經(jīng)滲透到我們的社會(huì)結(jié)構(gòu)中。社交媒體是許多青少年生活的重要組成部分。但是，社交媒體的使用對(duì)青少年有什么影響呢？

Social media is a tool for gathering information

Social media has become a source of information and news for many teens.Once they begin social networking，they can follow just about anyone with a social media account.From authors and athletes to celebrities，chefs，nonprofit organizations，they are connected to all sorts of information.By staying on social media，teenagers know more about global happenings and issues affecting the world.

Social media reduces feelings of isolation

A study published in 2015 found that even though teens have fewer friends than teens did a decade ago，they still report feeling less lonely than their1)counterpart [?ka?nt?pɑ?t] n.職位；對(duì)應(yīng)的事物counterpartsand feeling less isolated.Researchers suggest that the difference is social media and technology.This research also suggests that teens are developing stronger social skills due to social media use.Through social media，teens learn the other methods of online communication，this makes them better communicators in an increasingly digital world.

Social media allows for personal expression

Whether teens enjoy singing，writing，or acting，they can share these talents with the world around them.Providing this avenue of selfexpression is important for teens.There is a direct connection between self-expression and self-confidence.When teens are given avenues for being2)authentic [???θent?k] adj.真正的；真實(shí)的authenticand true to themselves，they become content with who they are and happier overall.

Social media use can also negatively affect teens

The act of3)scroll [skr??l] v.滾動(dòng)；卷動(dòng)scrollingthrough media can significantly impact the amount of physical activity or face-to-face conversation in which a teen engages.In addition，the teenagers are viewing on social media (e.g.，violence，4)cyberbully [?sa?b?rb?li] n.網(wǎng)絡(luò)暴力cyberbullying) and how it is5)internalize [?n?t?:n?la?z] v.使內(nèi)在化internalized(e.g.，treatment of others，self-worth) can be troublesome.Teenagers may experience negative interactions on social media，for example a post may not be“l(fā)iked” enough，there may be a lapse in response times，or they may be involved in cyberbullying，these negative interactions can impact6)adolescent [??d??lesnt] adj.青少年期的adolescentmental health.Sometimes loss of sleep，feelings of hopelessness，and negative thoughts are some of the negative outcomes associated with youth social media use.

Social media and its use by teenagers is a double-edged sword.While it offers many benefits，one cannot deny its many frailties too.

社交媒體是收集信息的工具

社交媒體已成為許多青少年收集信息和新聞的來(lái)源。一旦他們開(kāi)始社交網(wǎng)絡(luò)，他們就可以關(guān)注任何一個(gè)擁有社交媒體賬號(hào)的人。從作家、運(yùn)動(dòng)員到名人、廚師、非營(yíng)利性組織，他們與各種信息相關(guān)聯(lián)。通過(guò)關(guān)注社交媒體，青少年可以更多地了解影響世界的全球事件和問(wèn)題。

社交媒體減少孤立感

2015年發(fā)表的一項(xiàng)研究發(fā)現(xiàn)，盡管青少年的朋友比十年前的青少年的朋友少，但他們的孤獨(dú)感比同齡人少，他們也不覺(jué)得自己被孤立。研究人員認(rèn)為，不同之處在于社交媒體和技術(shù)。這項(xiàng)研究還表明，由于社交媒體的使用，青少年正在發(fā)展更強(qiáng)的社交技能。通過(guò)社交媒體，青少年學(xué)習(xí)其他在線交流方法，這使他們?cè)谌找鏀?shù)字化的世界中成為更好的溝通者。

社交媒體允許個(gè)人表達(dá)

無(wú)論青少年喜歡唱歌、寫(xiě)作還是表演，他們都可以與周圍的世界分享這些才能。提供這種自我表達(dá)的途徑對(duì)青少年來(lái)說(shuō)很重要，自我表達(dá)和自信之間存在直接聯(lián)系。當(dāng)青少年被給予做真實(shí)的自己和展示自己的途徑時(shí)，他們會(huì)對(duì)自己滿意，并且總體上更快樂(lè)。

社交媒體的使用也會(huì)對(duì)青少年產(chǎn)生負(fù)面影響

長(zhǎng)時(shí)間瀏覽媒體的行為會(huì)顯著減少青少年參與體育活動(dòng)或進(jìn)行面對(duì)面交流的次數(shù)。此外，青少年在社交媒體上觀看的內(nèi)容（如暴力、網(wǎng)絡(luò)欺凌等）及其內(nèi)化方式（如對(duì)待他人、自我價(jià)值）可能會(huì)導(dǎo)致麻煩。青少年可能會(huì)在社交媒體上經(jīng)歷負(fù)面互動(dòng)，例如，一個(gè)帖子可能不夠多“贊”，消息回復(fù)延遲，或者可能卷入網(wǎng)絡(luò)欺凌，這些負(fù)面的互動(dòng)會(huì)影響青少年的心理健康。青少年使用社交媒體有時(shí)也會(huì)導(dǎo)致失眠、產(chǎn)生絕望感和消極的想法。

社交媒體的使用對(duì)青少年是一把雙刃劍，雖然它提供了許多好處，但人們也不能否認(rèn)它的許多不利之處。