Social Network and Effects on Youth

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Impacts of Social Networks on Youth
Over the past decade, the internet has been growing exponentially characterized by the rise of social networking sites that are used globally. The most popular networks include Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Reddit, Flickr, WhatsApp, YouTube, Delicious, Snapchat, and BizSugar (Akram & Kumar 349). Facebook is the largest social networking site with more than 1.95 billion global users as of 2018. The social networking sites have various features that help their users in video-sharing, instant messaging, fast publishing, audio-sharing, podcasting, micro-blogging, and discussing and sharing information about different topics and issues affecting societies. At an individual level, the networks allow users to communicate with family and friends, entertain themselves, and learn new concepts. According to Shabir et al. (132), “majority of youth is shifting speedily from electronic media like as television viewers and radio listeners to the social media among all age groups.” Social networks have the highest influence on the youth than any other age group because they constitute the majority of social media users. Social networking sites profoundly impact the youth’s educational, social and political perceptions, trends, mental health, lifestyles, and physical activities.
Impact of Social Media on Youth Mental Health
Social networks play a central in the perceptions and mental health of the youth. Young adults have a heightened risk of developing mental illnesses with nearly 20 percent of adolescents suffering from a diagnosable mental disorder (Nesi 116). The youth’s peer experiences mark the beginning and maintenance for medical exploration and assessment of adolescents' mental health. Social networks allow peer interactions between young adults to occur with increased intensity, frequency, and immediacy. Studies reveal that “specific online peer experiences have been identified in prior work as potential risk factors for mental health concerns” (Nesi 117). Negative experiences such as cyber-victimization, trolls, and cyber-bullying have been linked with increased rates of suicidal behaviors and self-harm among the youth. Besides, self-injury and suicide-related content can potentially trigger suicidal behaviors among vulnerable youths. Previous research demonstrates that “the unnecessary use of these social networks has an effect on the mental as well as physical health” (Akram & Kumar 351). Online presence has also been associated with depression, anxiety, and mental breakdown because of exposure to social media drama and exclusion. Social networks negatively affect the youth’s mental health because of cyberbullying, the intensity of peer interactions, and social exclusion.
Social Network Impacts on Youth Lifestyle
The youth’s lifestyles are significantly shaped by what they learn from social networks. Social media provides platforms for advertising new brands, products, restaurants, latest dressing style, and music, fashion, and start hotels (Kulandairaj 25). Advertisements on social networks induce irresponsible financial decisions among youth. Additionally, the youth are under pressure to acquire the latest products in the market to gain social acceptance from their peers on social networks. Social media have been linked to poor interpersonal competencies which affect the real-life relationships of the youth. Dredge and Rebecca (886) define interpersonal competency as “the ability to effectively interact with others.” The youth using the media have fewer personal and real-life relationships because they focus on and spend more time with strangers on social networking sites. A lack of interpersonal competency among the youth has been further associated with high levels of drug abuse, lower family unity, depression, fewer friends, and the inability to build and maintain meaningful relationships. Kulandairaj (28) notes that “loss of privacy is another negative effect on the personal life of youth by social networking sites.” Young adults have shifted their lifestyles to fit what their online audience expects from them.
Social and Political Awareness of the Youth
Online interactions and the use of social networks have a profound impact on the youth's perceptions of social, political, and educational issues. Social networking platforms allow the youth to share information and discuss issues affecting their societies (Shabir et al. 132). The networks also encourage the youth to actively participate in politics. However, social networks may also negatively affect the way the youth understands various social, cultural, educational, and political issues by spreading fake news hate speech, and wrong information. Social networks promote unethical images, video clips, and antireligious posts that perpetuate hatred among youth. According to Aboagye et al. (25), “social media is used to exacerbate violence and fake news is used as a strategy to incite already existing violence.” Fake news has also been reported to delegitimize democracy and influence electoral in countries such as Kenya...