I never really thought about social media, or whether it was good or bad. To me it was just like a thing that was there and everyone used it. The first major social media site was myspace, but I wasn't even born when it was created. I've heard a lot about myspace though, and since it was the early 2000s, it's safe to assume that almost every teenager listened to Avril Lavigne and went through at least a little emo phase while myspace was still in use. I guess this is why people started to believe that social media leads directly to mental illness, because even though Facebook only came out a year later, it's really just a messaging site for "older" people. Now Facebook is generally only used by older generations, and MySpace, while technically still in use, is mostly defunct. Instead, apps like Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, Tumbler, and Pinterest are used, which are completely based on popularity. Many teens focus on how many likes and followers they have, which could lead to self-image issues if they believe in it too much. I personally have never paid much attention to my likes and followers, although I admit that sometimes I get a little sad when I realize that someone else has much more popularity on the Internet than me. I guess I've always found it interesting that while a lot of people in their 40s and 50s tell me that social media can lead to depression and sadness and I know there must be people out there who struggle with that, I personally don't meet many people who fall into that demographic. Social media has an interesting and complex history. According to dictonary.com, social media are “websites and other online means of communication used by large groups of people to share information and develop social and professional contacts.” To better understand what social media is, let's look at the history and how it started. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay It all started in 1978, with something called the bulletin board system, or BBS. BBS is an online "meeting place" that allows people to share information and games with each other. Soon another site appeared, Compuserve. Compuserve was very similar to BBS with one advantage: it allowed people to talk to each other directly. From there the idea of ​​social media took off and skyrocketed in 2002 with Friendster, a site that allowed you to have a close circle of friends online and promoted the creation of a tight-knit online community. Soon after, linkedin, myspace and Facebook appeared, which completely changed the rules of the game because while myspace was still designed to be aimed at teenagers, Facebook was aimed more at young adults and linkedin creates a network for businesses. Twitter soon followed, and after being released in 2006, it soon joined Facebook at the top of the social media pyramid. Fast forward a few years to 2010 and 2011, while Facebook and Twitter are still popular, a new type of social media is also starting to arrive. This is a type of social media based more on sharing the exciting parts of your life than an online community, and it starts on October 6, 2010 with Instagram. So, to this day, while Facebook and Twitter are still very popular, so are Instagram and the Snapchat site from 2011, but without the original sites like Friendster or even BBS, the world would not have a complete history of social media. Parents say social media has a negative effect on their children's mental well-being and overall health. Emily Weinstein,postdoctoral researcher at Harvard, believes that parents often turn to social media as something to blame for their children's sadness and overall health, ignoring other possible factors like grades or problems with friends and family. Other parental concerns are that their teens are not safe on social media or that it may cause them to have body positivity issues. Social media is a common place for pedophiles to find their next "date" and if a child does not know the risks of putting images of themselves on the Internet, there will be a high risk factor. In addition to not being safe from real-life people, teenagers also won't be safe from the little voices in their heads that tell them they're not good enough. On a site like Instagram, where everyone is trying to look and feel their best, not look like someone conventionally popular or cute. This is a big problem especially for girls who don't have the same body type as models. Although parents fear that their children will become depressed or develop anxiety from spending too much time online, they often set a bad example. 77% of American adults use social media, which means many parents aren't setting an example. Amanda Lenhart, deputy director of the Better Life Lab, says that while many parents strive to be good role models for their teens, they are present on social media. online category. Many parents will take the device away from children if they spend too much time on it, which has been shown to have a positive effect, but they won't limit themselves when it comes to screen time. Although many parents believe that social media is what makes their children continually unhappy, they often do not consider other factors or set an example. Anxiety or depression disorders can be adapted or worsened by social media. Mental illnesses such as major depressive disorder or anxiety disorder are often present before downloading social media, but are exacerbated by the stress of being perfect online. Sarah Fader is an author who writes and brings awareness to mental health. He recently wrote an article titled Social Media Obsession and Anxiety which talks about a recently discovered mental illness called Social Media Anxiety Disorder. It is a disease discovered very recently, so recent that if you search for it on Google you will not find the tab on the side with the information provided by the Mayo Clinic. Fader writes about the symptoms of social media anxiety disorder, stating that although there are many similarities to other anxiety disorders, people with mental illnesses interrupt daily life to check social media, withdraw from friends or family to live an online life and experience strong nervousness. when they have no social media contact for more than an hour. In fact, 20% of people can't go 3 hours without checking social media and 30% of people spend more than 15 hours a week on social media. Yoryen Young, a student at the University of Pennsylvania, when asked her opinion on social media said, "What we found overall is that if you use less social media, you're actually less depressed and less lonely, which means that less social media use is what causes that qualitative change in your well-being,” and believes that many people are aware of the dangers of social media, but choose to ignore it for fear of not liking their peers. Although many people believe that social media is a positive thing in their lives, social media can worsen existing mental illnesses and even be the cause of some. Please note: this is just an example. Get a customized document from our writers now,.