There is a growing concern around the use of social media by young people on a daily basis. The use of technology is destroying the minds of young people at a high rate and these figures aren’t decreasing. This concern is becoming greater as our youth are becoming less aware of the direct impact this is having on their physical and mental health.

It is said that an average of 2 hours and 26 minutes is spent by people aged 16-24 on social media a day- almost double the daily average for all adults.

The main problem and issues are that young people are focused on what others think of them. The truth is most people are concerned about themselves.

Celebrities and influencers across social media mainly focus on body image to impress fans. This is affecting young people and is causing them to become body conscious and look down on themselves and who they are. This further causes them to suffer from illnesses such as Anorexia and Bulimia which then creates additional issues for the NHS. The main reason young people are affected by the people they see on social media is that these influencers and celebrities are a reflection of what they want to be. However, what they don’t realise is that majority of what they are exposed to online is not a true representation of the apparent perfect life they present to the public.

Mother of seven, Nazia, was questioned as to why she refuses to give her 15-year-old daughter, the eldest of the children, a phone. She replied by saying, “social media is intoxicating our young generation and I refuse to watch my own children fall under the traps of social media. It is having an effect on their physical and mental health which is affecting their learning and grades. As the eldest of her siblings, she has a lot of pressure on her shoulders as she is a role model for them, and I cannot afford to see them influenced by the media and society they live in.” She further stated, “We are seeing the consequences of social media on young people and their health and how it is destroying the lives of many people. Many parents aren’t aware of these dangers and need to see the impact it’s having on their children before it’s too late.”

Social media is changing and ‘improving’ by the second. Short videos have been created and are so popular because of their addictiveness. They are presenting content that is seen as engaging and entertaining to young minds in a short space of time. The issue with this is that these 30 second videos are reducing attention span and causing young people to only focus on little snippets of information which will affect their learning. In order to avoid a vicious cycle of young people with health issues, educating them correctly can change their futures and the futures of generations to come.