Abstract

The emergence of Web 2.0 is the digitisation where social media consisting of user-based generated content in the participatory culture has dominated today’s digital culture. With Gen Z consuming a large social media presence, negative impacts are prominently evident and resulted upon. It is clear that the role of social media significantly plays a dangerous and harmful role on communities of adolescents, and continues to increase immensely. This paper discusses the rise of long-term physical and mental health declining in adolescents due to various factors promoted and displayed on social media. The argument of this paper is the online influence that expresses the immense measurements in the decline of adolescents’ wellbeing, and the need to address improvements in online management. 

Introduction

In the modern world, Web 2.0 technologies are a main source of tool in today’s digital culture. Web 2.0 includes networking sites such as social media platforms, and these mediums continue to thrive as it is used worldwide as a preferred method of communication. Social media enables users to network at a global scale, while also creating and sharing content. Although social media has been seen to hold positive effects among users, the networking sites have caused harmful impacts in society, particularly on adolescents. According to a survey by the National Centre for Educational Statistics (2019), social media plays a significant role in Gen Z with 95% of 3 – 18-year-olds having internet access, and almost similarly of that use social media daily. This growing level of online usage shows the technological based generation is on the verge of perpetuating a physical and mental wellbeing far from ‘healthy’ while developing into adulthood. Factors such as social media influencers, cyberbullying, peer pressure, and the spread of misinformation across the social networking sites are only a few impacts that shape the wellbeing of adolescents from the influence of social media having a dangerous role on the community.

The impact between social media and adolescent users has seen a trend of exponential growth. It has become stronger and more dangerous over the recent years where technology is a crucial part of today’s digital culture. With evolving around the convenience of social media, the volume of adolescent users proves the domination places an immense impact over traditional issues. Contents on social media can promote the cause of negativity, endangering communities towards unsafe situations. The decline in wellbeing on an individual is becoming progressively problematic, with risks in physical and mental health issues arising due to experiences endured on social media.

Influencers 

Social media personalities, known as influencers, typically have large audiences and earn their income from creating and sharing content, particularly through brand sponsors. Smit et al. (2020) states that social media influencers use vlogs as a marketing strategy to promote foods and beverages high in fat, sugar and salt (HFSS) to target young audiences, causing an obesity crisis from unhealthy dietary behaviours. Content posted online are often unregulated and advertised foods and beverages go without restrictions, raising questions on advertising models and its effectiveness on health regulations to influence young children. Similar to TV commercials, vlogs have characteristics with mechanisms that appeal to identify attracting younger audiences with colourful and animated product packaging. This intrigues audiences into watching other similar content, and the exposure depicts into consuming the promoted products more frequently. Food presentations takes up approximately one-quarter of content online and plays a significant role, which further shapes the already unhealthy eating habits prone in the population (Winzer et al., 2022). Obesity can cause individuals to suffer from cardiovascular disease, joint pain, diabetes, certain cancers, and psychological issues (Djalalinia et at., 2015). Influencers can build strong relationships with their audiences, selecting products to promote that are most applicable to their target audience. Adolescents’ knowledge is still developing in handling persuasive strategies, indicating the vulnerability when following recommendations by influencers and their marketing strategy of foods and beverages, especially when having low nutritional values (Winzer et al., 2022). Influencers and their choice of promoted content considers the crucial exposure to tackle obesity in children, moreover the feasible system in developing effective policies to monitor marketing on social media.

Social media influencers do not only contribute on the impact on obesity but also contribute on body dissatisfaction for thin, ideal body images which is just as much a danger. Seen commonly among female adolescents, there is a sensitive relationship of eating disorder behaviours in correlation with social media, linking to the increase of mental health issues. Suffering from eating disorders present changes in unhealthy behavioural attitudes, weight and appearance such as restricting, binging or purging (Aparicio-Martinez et al., 2019). Mental health disorders dangers the wellbeing and is a concern due to its commonality in the population, with the likelihood it can develop severely if not treated at an early stage or is inadequately treated. The population with eating disorders are common in female adolescents with 16% overeating, 20% purged by vomiting and 61% food restraining. Moreover, 1% of that struggle with eating disorders throughout their whole lives, and these data have seen an increase in younger children with an average age of 12 with eating disorders, and is continuing to decrease (Aparicio-Martinez et al., 2019).

Influencers have altered and normalized the means in spreading unrealistic beauty standards. It is a critical factor promoted on social media formulated by playing a role where female adolescents among society have deemed the increasing level of attractiveness in being ideally thin. The way individuals perceive and value themselves to a high extent results in body image concerns and the increase of body dissatisfaction over time to provoke distress emotionally and psychologically. With social media so prevalent in the lives of adolescents, it is the concern built from influencers that society has created role models who set the aesthetic for the ‘perfect’ body image. Additionally, comparing oneself with another can lead to body dysmorphic disorder, risking the factor resulting with eating disorders over additional pressures to achieve a desired body image being presented online (Martinez et al., 2019).

Cyberbullying 

Another disadvantage in the online community is the ongoing cyberbullying with the negative impact on users that can lead to societal issues. The environment on social media is a deeply immense atmosphere, and the cyber engagement continues to increase while impacting the wellbeing of victims at a distressing rate. Alismaiel (2023) refers to cyberbullying as the use of communication technologies such as websites or SMS messaging to ‘socially isolate, humiliate, harass, or threaten an individual.’ With cyberbullying, issues can include threats, harassments, online surveillance and identity theft via any platform at any time, and is a detrimental impact recognized in victims as a result. The concern is the layer of anonymity with not knowing if it is an individual or a group of perpetrators attacking victims online. Any user can create multiple accounts on social media and hide their true identity before making threats to victims. Cyberbullying is a common issue that occurs frequently, and people affected are known to often depart social networking sites as a method to cope and escape the hatred received. According to statistics by DataProt (2023), over 59% of teenagers in the US has experienced online bullying, with 42% having been called offensive names, 32% had false rumours spread, 25% received unwanted explicit images, and 16% received physical threats. With the cyberbullying messages, 36% involved their dating partner, 31% was sexual behaviours, 26% was weight, and 22% was physical appearance. Moreover, the highest rate of cyberbullying in 2017 was the social media platform of Instagram (DataProt, 2023).

Online harassment among adolescents has raised concerns in relation to behavioural attitudes, and can link to poor communication and poor academic achievements. This goes to see that parents, guardians and educators lack the knowledge to recognize the impacts that should be identified as major concerns in health and criminal issues (Alismaiel, 2023). Adolescents, particular younger females, suffer more than males due to the harassments that cause mental health issues such as severe psychological and emotional distress (loneliness and anxiety), the potential to self-harm, suicidal thoughts or suicide being the worst-case scenario (Alismaiel, 2023). As adolescents are still developing and emerging adulthood, their cognitive responses are a challenge to meet the environments of social media’s impacts that surrounds. Cyberbullying’s role on social media with the horrifying statistics expresses the negative consequences in which adolescents are directly impacted upon with concerning issues and obtains the need of improvement in online management and hate speech.

Peer pressure 

The immense time adolescents spend scrolling and making content to post on social networking sites is influenced through the context of peer pressure that plays a problematic role in harmful consequences. With social media being a place to network, peers have become increasingly significant through the level of either support or pressure when it comes to the behavioural attitudes by adolescents. To further explain, the higher the level of peer support, the less of an impact of problematic internet use (Leijse et al., 2023). 

The issue of peer pressure on social media drives adolescents to emotional, irrational and unclear motives, usually due to attitudes of internet trends or the desire in social popularity. Adolescents value having the approval of social acceptance, body image and some cases, sex appeal from the stereotyped domains on the media (Poon, 2022). These behavioural consumptions tend to be influenced from those with ideal physical appearances society look up to, as well as the high number of followers and likes received on their posts. The phenomenon has also scaled into a trend where controversial issues such as cosmetic surgery and aesthetic procedures has become normalized in society (Poon, 2022). Feeling pressured on social media sees a decline in wellbeing, including low self-esteem, insecurity, loneliness, depression and sleeping problems. As a result, adolescents are more likely to consume substances such as drugs and alcohol as a method of coping mechanism, which further deteriorates their physical wellbeing (Poon, 2022). The level of peer support or pressure is plausible to identify the problematic online impacts among adolescents.

Spread of misinformation 

Social media is a polarizing world to spread misinformation and ‘fake news’ as it is a concern towards the wellbeing of adolescents due to being at the forefront for social media consumption. Misinformation is generally spread by public figures who have different views on topics, and a focal point on the media was the Covid-19 pandemic that caused a spur with misinformation and digital narratives experienced online. Diepeveen and Pinet (2022) mention that the World Health Organization labelled the Covid-19 misinformation an ‘infodemic,’ in efforts to determine and discard any content deemed harmful to the population. Bot accounts and algorithms controlled by software played a role with the production of online content in conspiracy theories (Diepeveen & Pinet, 2022). Harff et al. (2022) explain that governments reached out to influencers on platforms like Instagram to help inform the public on the misinformation of the Covid-19 pandemic, only to backfire as influencers were also detected with the spread of misinformation. The circumstance caused major catastrophe worldwide and placed perceptions on adolescents who dominate the online presence Furthermore, the concern on the ability to access, determine, create content and engage with the representations of information given. The impacts have caused more than being confused or loaded with questions on what information is right or wrong. It has triggered a distrust in the governments and organizations alike, health professionals, researches, experts in the field and influencers. In addition, the impact of psychological distress, development in anxiety and depression, and the overload in fear are at potential risks from the spread of misinformation on social media.

Conclusion 

Social media is an excessive online space to network, create and share content, however it has evidently shaped negative impacts on adolescents who have dominated a large online presence. With social media being a crucial part of today’s digital culture for communication, it has become dangerous and harmful to communities and leads them into life threatening situations. From issues such as the role of influencers, cyberbullying, peer pressure and the spread of misinformation on social media, the lives of adolescents are put at risk. The mental (anxiety, depression) and physical (obesity, body dissatisfaction) wellbeing can spiral into a crisis, and can be damaging with long-term impacts or even life threatening, including the potential of suicidal thoughts or suicide. Social media has seen a trend with negative influences on adolescent communities, and the issues need to be further addressed, investigated and mitigated to decrease the horrific statistics and toxicity displayed online. 

References 

Alismaiel, O. A. (2023). Digital media used in education: The influence on cyberbullying behaviors among youth students. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(2), 1370. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20021370

Aparicio-Martinez, P., Perea-Moreno, A-J., Martinez-Jimenez, M. P., Redel-Macias, M. D., Pagliari, C., & Vaquero-Abellan, M. (2019). Social media, thin-ideal, body dissatisfaction and disordered eating attitudes: An exploratory analysis. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16(21), 4177. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16214177

Diepeveen, S., & Pinet, M. (2022). User perspectives on digital literacy as a response to misinformation. Development Policy Review, 40(2). https://doi.org/10.1111/dpr.12671

Djalalinia, S., Qorbani, M., Peykari, N., & Kelishadi, R. (2015). Health impacts of obesity. Pakistan Journal of Medical Sciences, 31(1), 239-242. https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.311.7033

Harff, D., Bollen, C., & Schmuck, D. (2022). Responses to social media influencers’ misinformation about Covid-19: A pre-registered multiple-exposure experiment. Media Psychology, 25(6), 831-850. https://doi.org/10.1080/15213269.2022.2080711

Leijse, M. M. L., Koning, I. M., & van den Eijnden, R. J. J. M. (2023). The influence of parents and peers on adolescents’ problematic social media use revealed. Computers in Human Behavior, 143. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2023.107705

National Center for Educational Statistics. (2019). Fast Facts: Access to the internet. Institute of Education Sciences. https://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=46

Poon, S. T. F. (2022). Feeling fit and looking good: The impact of materialism, peer approval and sex appeal on youth consumer perceptions towards fitness studio advertising. Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities, 7(32).https://doi.org/10.46652/rgn.v7i32.921

Smit, C. R., Buijs, L., J. van Woudenberg, T., Bevelander, K. E., & Buijzen, M. (2020). The impact of social media influencers on children’s dietary behaviors. Frontiers in Psychology, 10, 2975. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02975

Vojinovic, I. (2023). Heart-breaking cyberbullying statistics for 2023. DataProt. https://dataprot.net/statistics/cyberbullying-statistics/

Winzer, E., Naderer, B., Klein, S., Lercher, L., & Wakolbinger, M. (2022). Promotion of food and beverages by German-speaking influencers popular with adolescents on TikTok, YouTube and Instagram. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(17), 10911. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191710911