How Social Media Affects Teens…

In today’s world our children here in the United States grow up feeling entitled. Entitled to not only the necessities of life, like food, water, clothing, housing etc. They feel they are entitled to have what their peers have and have it now. Material items such as, a new smart phone, tablet, designer clothing, and shoes are just the beginning. Not only do they want these pricey items, that can break the bank, but they often feel let down that they do not have the adventures, vacations, ATV’s, vehicles, and an unending allowance that they perceive “ALL of their friends” have. Compounding these feelings of “poor me ” is social media. Social media can lead to detrimental addictive behaviors, but we are looking at where the problem begins. Yes it is true that social media can be used for positive things such as creating awareness or this blog. But all too often social media is harming our Teens. When our teenager can receive insta-gratification by being able to see in vivid color what everyone is posting/boasting about in the very minute that it’s happening. Remember back when we were in school we had to wait till Monday to hear that one of our friends went out to eat at an actual sit down restaurant with the Family.. Which, let’s be honest we usually didn’t hear about these silly things because it was forgotten by Monday. Now our youth get a play by play accounting with very edited photos pointing out how much more amazing their peers’  family, dinner, vacation, and life is than their own… This can be depressing even to an educated adult.  In the mind of a teenager these material things and small daily events are the most important things in life! It is vital to understand that if a student is already struggling with low self esteem, behavior issues, and or addiction, social media (if not monitored by a vigilant adult) can make things go from bad to worse very quickly. Another huge problem with social media is cyber-bullying, whether your child is being bullied or the one doing the bullying, each can and will cause major damage their self esteem.

At Triumph Youth Services/Academy we teach our students to focus on setting and achieving goals while becoming their best self in a positive peer culture. We want them to know who they are and what they are capable of doing by the time they leave us. When a young man truly knows who he is becoming and how great his potential is, he can reach his goals little by little and not be discouraged by the skewed view that social media will present when they return home.