About 223 million people use social media daily such as Snapchat, Instagram, and Facebook. But social media has a huge impact on how you act, behave, what you may think towards yourself and other people. Social media is fun to use, but also is impacting the way you live. 

Over the years, the amount of time teenagers are spending on social media has increased rapidly. Teens are more focused on what’s on social media rather than what is happening in our world around us. Reviews.org’s article “2022 Cell Phone Usage Statistics” reports that around 70% of Americans check their phone within five minutes of receiving a notification. It also states that 26% say they would endanger themselves to avoid losing or damaging their cell phone. 

Social media has changed, turning a so-called “safe environment” into something that parents have to worry about. Throughout the years there have been many cases of child kidnapping due to kids meeting online predators over social media. There are estimated 500,000 predators who use social media each day. Social media could be unsafe if you are talking to someone you do not know. 

Social media could also have an impact on the way you think about yourself. Many teens tend to compare themselves to pictures online. These pictures may be edited or even photoshopped. This affects mental health and your self love. Overall, social media has made many young people think that they have to look a certain way to look good, which is not true. To read more about that, check out my article “The Importance of Self Love,” which explains why social media affects the way you may think and how to overcome it.

Nowadays kids have gotten their phones way too soon. A statistic shows that about 25% have gotten their phone at the age of 11-12 and 20% have gotten their phone at the age of 13-14. 

So, instead of scrolling through your phone, take a walk outside and breathe in fresh air, read a book, find a new hobby, or even continue one that you already have. We shouldn’t be living life looking through a screen, we should live without being so attached to social media.