Social Media in the News
Social media has never been more popular or more marketable than it is these days. There are people, companies and an entire industry that it strictly devoted to expanding and improving social media communications, technologies and products. And as with every other successful commodity, there is always someone to point out the negative consequences of what everyone is doing. Recently, a new study has been published that claimed that teens who text 120 times a day or more are also “more likely to have sex, binge drink, use drugs, or get into fights.” These results were based on a Survey done in a High School in Cleveland that found a strong correlation between students who are deeply immersed in technology and in high-risk behaviors.
It is understandable that researchers would want to examine the negative effects of social media on the public, especially children and adolescents, but is it really necessary to claim technology will lead to promiscuity and substance abuse?
These days, social media is a ubiquitous and an inescapable part of our society. It is the younger generation that is expected to take social media (as it is today) only make it bigger and better in the future. I realize that some people might not understand and disapprove of this technological move forward, but why are scientists trying to scare teens (and their parents) from it? As far as scientific research, there are plenty more causes for drug and alcohol abuse and sexual promiscuity among teens, that are far more significant than “hyper-texting” and “hyper-networking”.
As with most common trends, it is best to follow the rule of “too much of a good thing is a bad thing.” That is, when social-media is used correctly and for the right reasons, it shouldn’t lead to poor health behaviors. However, I do believe that technology could in fact become dangerous, if parents don’t teach their children to use social media properly.
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