Teen Voices: Who Are You on Social Media?

Social media gives us a chance to choose how we present ourselves to the world. We can snap and share a picture at the moment, or carefully stage photos and select only the ones we think are best. This has its pros and cons. Some teenagers become prone to becoming obsessed with how many ‘likes’ they are getting on their posts. This can have severe repercussions on their persona, and end in clinical depression.

What today’s kids need to remember is that who they are in real life affects their social media personages and vice versa. Often, impressionable adolescents follow their favourite stars and their so-called ‘perfect’ lives on social media and affect such a portrayal of their own lives. This puts undue pressure on them to emulate lifestyles, resulting in a kind of schizophrenia of personalities.  

On the other hand, being too honest and transparent on social media can also have its disadvantages. Children doing so may be attacked viciously by others for their opinions. Putting a lot of personal data online can also subject them to various cyber crimes such as cyber-bullying and cyber manipulation.

Therefore, a balanced perspective in life is required to use social media effectively. To learn more on this, watch the following video.