A big thanks to technology, the world has developed to a stage where everything seems possible. Part of this development birthed social media and it has been around for a while. I do call social media a platform where everyone is welcome to display their sanity and insanity. Thanks to social media, we get to see many displays these days, all in the name of content creation. Underaged teenagers now have access to browsing mobile phones, which gives them access to surf social media at any time and anywhere.
Social media has the power to impact lives either positively or negatively because what we see or hear plays a vital role in the composition of our thoughts and it contributes a quota to our personality. This is the main reason, we are warned to beware of what we watch and listen to. As a lady, I am always conscious of my mental health, and I hold it in high esteem; I don't like anything at all messing with my mental health because the outcome does tell so much about me.
Gone are the days when parents didn't grant their children access to social media because of the inappropriate things children learn from all these social media platforms but Gen Z (modern) parents now help their children advertise themselves on social media under the disguise of a content creators. Growing up, my parents were so strict that I wasn't privileged to use a mobile phone, either browsing or not, till I clocked 18 years of age. My parents made sure of it; even when my friends and classmates then were all active on different social media; I always listened to their lists. I was not privileged to experience it till I clocked 20 years. At 18 years old, my parents got me a mobile phone but it cannot access the internet, it is mainly for receiving calls, then browsing when I clocked 20 years old. They believed at that age, I was mature enough to use my discretion on what I watch and listen to, which makes it a bit easier for them, too; they don't have to monitor my activities online.
The things being portrayed on social media these days aren't pleasant at all, and kids watch and listen to them, thereby contributing to their character and attitudes towards situations of life because they are exposed to things greater and bigger than their ages. We are in a generation where we see inappropriate things as being normal thereby causing harm to our mental health. Social media sometimes lowers self-esteem, you see a younger person or probably your age mate on social media riding big cars and wearing expensive clothes and accessories while you are still struggling to feed. It will look like your hard work is meaningless, leading to you questioning your abilities, which might lead to frustration and depression.
Sometimes, social media pass a wrong message across to people, which makes them want to be like those they see on social media without prior knowledge of what they do and are still doing to get to where they are today. Many are ready to be a social media influencer just to be like their role models and engage in various kinds of activities, forgetting discipline and hard work. These days, social media does not teach discipline. Rather, you see content where you will be wondering how a parent can allow his or her child to be involved in such an act, but then it is a means of survival anyway, and people will do anything and everything to survive.
Social media is a force that prints a picture of what we are not on our mental health; it comes with some weird imagination, making one forget who he or she truly is. Excluding the showcase of talents, obsession with social media brings about a decrease in self-love and self-priority, which does not go well on mental or physical health. Social media has its pros and cons, every activity one engages in on social media should be done moderately and appropriately.
Thanks for your time, and your comments will be appreciated.
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