Social media has many pros and cons. Teenagers worldwide use social media for a variety of things from keeping up with the latest fashion trends to communicating with their friends or even making new friends.  

Though social media has many pros that are talked about, it also has cons that aren’t talked about as much. For example, how it can ruin friendships or make teens feel bad about themselves because of what someone else posted. Social media can really take a toll on a person’s mental health. 

According to the Mayo Clinic, “Social media use can also negatively affect teens, distracting them, disrupting their sleep, and exposing them to bullying, rumor spreading, unrealistic views of other people’s lives and peer pressure.” 

Jayla Anders, a senior at Proviso East High School, tells us a little bit about how social media affects her. “It (social media) alters your mind and makes you think life isn’t good enough,” said Anders. “It makes you question everything in your life.” This just goes to show that social media apps are not all uplifting all the time. It can get rough.  

It is proven every day that social media takes a toll on a teenager’s mental health. Apps such as Instagram allow people to post photos of interesting things that they have going on in their lives. This can make teens feel like their life isn’t good enough and can cause them to feel bad about themselves. “Social media can cause self-esteem issues,” says Reggie Cowles, a senior at Proviso East High School. 

Social media apps are also responsible for ruining friendships all around the world. According to PsychCentral, “Social media can affect all areas of your life, including your relationships with partners, friends, and family members.” The article states that students would use fake accounts to talk about their friends and even go so far as exposing their nudes or personal information that other students sent to them. 

While social media has its benefits, the cons are still present and should be talked about more. Talking about the cons can help teenagers in the future.