By Paul Schellenberg, LLC
Social media is taking over as the main source of entertainment in today’s society. This has positive and negative aspects.
One of the positive effects social media can impart is empowering youths to share their voices and gifts of self-expression. Also, social media can help friends who do not live in the same city to keep in touch. Social media can help those who feel isolated feel less so.
Even though children and teens can use social media to connect with others and express themselves, I encourage all parents who allow their children to have smartphones or tablets to be aware of the apps that their children are using due to some of the risks inherent in being connected to vast online, mostly anonymous, communities.
The volume of available apps that are out there can be difficult for parents to supervise. Almost any kid can post any type of content they want with the numerous forms of social media available. This glut of options makes even the most responsible parents have trouble completely supervising their child’s social media use. Apps like Phhhoto, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat provide possible access to inappropriate images or content for kids of all ages. Mature or inappropriate content is shockingly easy to access; it takes one click on one person’s profile, and a child could possibly be put at risk of being stalked, cyber-bullied, sexually harassed, or exploited.
One more negative aspect of social media is the emotional toll it can take on a person’s psyche. I have worked as a therapist for 15 years, and the majority of my work has been with teenagers. Every teenager I have worked with that struggled with depression and anxiety was heavily involved with social media. In fact, every client I have worked with, regardless of age, that struggled with depression, anxiety, and self-esteem issues was heavily involved with social media. I encourage anyone who is struggling emotionally to examine their online behavior, either with their phones or computers — it could be that the type of online interactions you engage in could be encouraging negative coping methods or even exacerbating your emotional issues.
Social media is a form of entertainment where users can closely control their image or message; a user can easily cultivate an identity that only shows what they want to show, or transmits an identity that matches what they want the general public to think their life is like. Often times, a person will compare their life to the fake online life of a complete stranger and become discouraged or depressed. I encourage every parent to do spot checks of their kids’ social media use and apps they have at their disposal. I also strongly encourage everyone of all ages to decrease their social media use for the sake of their mental health. If you find yourself addicted to social media or feel a loved one is addicted to social media, please seek out professional help as soon as possible.
Paul Schellenberg is a licensed Clinical Professional Counselor. He specializes in sports and student anxiety, trauma and mood disorders, emotional barriers, coping skills, depression, working with both children and adults. For more information, please visit www.pschellenberg.com or call 309-696-0267.