Are Social Media Websites Harmful To The Youth?

Are Social Media Websites Harmful To The Youth?

Evan Atkinson

Strategic CommunicationsElon University

Abstract

This study was done to determine if social media websites negatively affect the youth of America. Many young people in the United States have accounts on social media websites such as Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace and studies have shown that these websites can have negative affects. With so many young people using these social media sites, studies on the negative affects should surely be done. After conducting a survey, and analyzing many secondary academic resources I determined that in fact the youth could be negatively affected by these social media websites. They are negatively affected in many different ways such as them being addictive, and distracting in an academic environment, but also can affect the youth negatively in several other ways. After coming to these conclusions, I am certain that more studies need to be done on this issue, so we can reverse some of the negative aspects of social media websites, and find a way to be able to use them in the best possible way.

I. Introduction

The Internet is a powerful tool, and has transformed modern life

considerably. The way people communicate today has changed tremendously

because of advances in technology, and much has to do with the power of the

Internet. In the last 10 years the Internet has evolved, and what came about has

been social media websites. Social media websites allow people to communicate in

ways we never have before, and have attracted millions of people.

On Facebook more than 25 billion pieces of content (web links, news stories,

blog posts, notes, photo albums, etc.) are shared each month, and more than 150

million people use the social media website each month. Facebook has more than

100 million active users currently using Facebook on their cell phones. People

spend over 500 billion minutes per month on Facebook.

Pg. 1-Are Social Media Websites Harmful To The Youth?

When it comes to Twitter, the other social media giant at the moment, they

get more than 300,000 new users each day. As of now there are 110 million users of

Twitter’s services with a third of users accessing on their cell phones.1

Social media is growing at a rapid pace, and with this growth their are new

questions that are coming forth and need to be answered. Social media is changing

communication and our society as we know it, and the question is if it’s a good

change.

II. Literature Review

The topic of social media or social networking is a very interesting topic, but

also a very new topic. In recent years the Internet has been booming, and in these

years social media was born. As of 2010 73% of children between ages 12-17 use

social networking sites, and 82% of people between ages 18-29. Since social media

is a fairly new phenomenon is it very important for us to understand the risks, or

the negative affects these social medias can have on our youth. Social networking

sites have benefits to the people who use them, but also as my research showed they

can also have negative affects on the youth.

Social networks reach millions of teenagers a year, so it is our responsibility

to understand how they affect us. As of 2010, 15% of Facebook users were

teenagers ages 13-17, totaling to almost 73 million teenagers using Facebook.23

1 "52 Cool Facts About Social Media." Danny Brown | Social Media Marketing Blog. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Nov. 2011. <http://dannybrown.me/2010/07/03/cool-facts-about-social-media/>.2 Fong, Sandra. "Where in Social Media are Young Teens?" Ogilvy PR 360 Digital Influence Blog. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Oct. 2011. <http://blog.ogilvypr.com/2011/02/where-in-social-media-are-young-teens/>.3 Lenhart, Amanda, Mary Madden, Aaron Smith, and Alexandra Macgill. "Summary of Findings | Pew Internet & American Life Project ." Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project . N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Oct. 2011. <http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2007/Teens-and-Social-


Research done by Dr. Larry Rosen a professor of psychology at California State

University says that he found a correlation between heavy Facebook use and

narcissism. In his research he also found that teen that frequently check their

Facebook pages reported lower grades, showing that there could be a correlation

between low grades and social media use. "Facebook is seven years old. We're not

talking about an established media form ... we're talking about something that's very

new," Rosen said. "People are starting to investigate how people use these

technologies for good and bad."

Another risk that is being examined is if social networking sites are changing

the idea of “friendship” as a whole. Whether the quality of their interactions is being

diminished without the intimacy and emotional give and take of regular extended

face-to-face time. Today’s youths may be missing out on experiences that help them

develop empathy, understand emotional nuances and read social cues like facial

expressions and body language. With children’s technical obsessions starting at

ever-younger ages even kindergartners will play side by side on laptops during play

dates and their brains may eventually be rewired and those skills will fade further,

some researchers believe.4

Dr. Gwenn O’ Keeffe a Boston-area pediatrician and author of American

Academy of Pediatrics social media guidelines says that social media sites are not

good for children dealing with poor self-esteem. My research led me to this new

Media/1-Summary-of-Findings.aspx>.4 STOUT, HILARY. "How Does Technology Affect Kids’ Friendships? - NYTimes.com." The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Oct. 2011. <http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/02/fashion/02BEST.html?pagewanted=all>.


condition called “ Facebook depression.” Also, it's common among some teens to

post snotty or judgmental messages on the Facebook walls of people they don't like,

said Gaby Navarro, 18, a senior from Grayslake, Ill. It's happened to her friends, and

she said she could imagine how that could make some teens feel depressed.5

Safety has also become a very important issue when it comes to social

networking websites. Teens can give out important information that could make

them easy targets for pedophiles and other criminals. Posting too much information

on social networking site may be dangerous.6 7 Also, research shows many teens

have posted information about sexual behavior, substance abuse or violence.8 9 In

the end, the texts show that there are many risks and negatives involved when it

comes to the youth and social media websites. Some of these negatives include:

cyber-bullying, safety, addiction, depression, affecting friendships, and also

distracting in school setting.10 Finally, we must understand these negatives more to

5 "Docs warn about teens and 'Facebook depression' - Health - Mental health - msnbc.com." msnbc.com - Breaking news, science and tech news, world news, US news, local news- msnbc.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Oct. 2011. <http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42298789/ns/health-mental_health/t/docs-warn-about-teens-facebook-depression/#.TooHBByBO-p>.6 "Online Social Networking Dangers and Benefits - University of the Pacific ." University of the Pacific - Stockton, San Francisco, Sacramento. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Oct. 2011. <http://www.pacific.edu/x4989.xml>.7 "Why parents must mind MySpace - Dateline NBC - msnbc.com." msnbc.com - Breaking news, science and tech news, world news, US news, local news- msnbc.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Oct. 2011. <http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11064451/ns/dateline_nbc/t/why-parents-must-mind-myspace/#.TooL3hyBO-p>.8 "Why parents must mind MySpace - Dateline NBC - msnbc.com." msnbc.com - Breaking news, science and tech news, world news, US news, local news- msnbc.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Oct. 2011. <http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11064451/ns/dateline_nbc/t/why-parents-must-mind-myspace/#.TooL3hyBO-p>.9 "Are social networking sites turning teens into substance abusers? - HealthPop - CBS News." Breaking News Headlines: Business, Entertainment & World News - CBS News. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Oct. 2011. <http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504763_162-20097923-10391704.html>.10 "Problems With Social Networking and Teens - Life123." Articles and Answers about Life - Life123. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Oct. 2011. <http://www.life123.com/parenting/tweens-teens/social-networking/issues-with-teens-and-social-networking.shtml>.


prevent them from happening to the youth in the future.

III. Methods

I have done extensive research on my topic, which is social media. I believe

that social media can negatively affect the youth emotionally and can affect the

youth negatively in many different ways. The research questions that I raised were

(R1) does social media negatively affect the youth emotionally? If so, how? And my

other question is (R2) does social media negatively affect the youth in other ways? If so,

how? Another question I raised is, (R3) if social media affects the youth what age does it

affect the most?

I am going about answering these research questions using secondary resources

such as academic journals found in Elon University library, and I will also be using a

survey. The survey questions will be

1. What is your Age / Gender? (R3)

2. How many days a week do you use social media websites? (R1/2)

3. How many times of day to you check these websites? (R1/2)

4. How many hours a week do you spend using these social media websites?

(Estimate) (R1/2)

5. Do you feel anxious or uneasy when you cannot check these social media

websites? (R1)

6. Do you feel the need to be liked on a social media website? (R1)

7. If you bring a laptop to class, do you check social media websites during

class? (R2)

8. Do you feel social media websites distract you during class? (R2)

9. Do you ever feel the need to check social media websites while doing

homework? (R2)


10. Do you feel social media websites are affecting your schoolwork? (R2)

11. Have you ever posted a picture or status of/about you consuming alcohol or

illegal drugs? (R2)

12. Has someone ever used a social media website to harass or bother you?

(R1/2)

13. Have you ever been cyber-bullied on one of these websites? (R1/2)

The research participants will be Elon University students between the ages

of 18-23. I am hoping to receive at least 100 responses, and the participants shall

see this survey through Elon email, twitter, and Facebook and I will be using

SurveyMonkey.com.

IV. Results

To answer some of the questions to my research on social media, and to

confirm or dispel my hypothesis that social media can negatively affect the youth

emotionally and can affect the youth negatively in many different ways I used a

survey. I used the website Surveymonkey.com to create my survey, and used the

link that the website provided for me to send out to people. I first used my Elon

University e-mail address to send my survey link to my friends in college or high

school, I then used social media to try and reach people for my survey results. I put

my survey link as my Facebook status so my friends could see the link and use it,

and I also posted my survey link numerous times on Twitter, hoping to receive more

people to take my survey through social media.


After posting my survey through social media sites, and using my e-mail to

connect with people I received 100 responses. My age demographic on responses

was between the ages of 17-23, which was perfect for my topic on social media

affecting the youth of America. About 55% of the responses coming from females,

and 45% coming from males, which I thought was a good split between the genders.

My first question was, “ How many times a day do you check your social

media websites? (Estimate)” 46.7% of the respondents said they check their social

media sites 10 or more times a day, with only 14.4% saying they check there social

media sites 3 or less. From my results, almost 50% of respondents said they check

there social media accounts more than 10 times a day which I believe shows some

sort of habitual attachment or addiction to their social media accounts. I believe

that 10 or more times a day to check social media, is in excess and should be at a

lower number, but this statistic could show us how big the problem really could be,

which it comes to social media and teen addiction to them. There are millions of

teenagers in America and across the world who are linked to social media websites,

if almost 50% of them are checking these websites obsessively throughout their

days, this could be a nationwide addiction, and potentially worldwide.

My second question was, “ Do you feel anxious or uneasy when you cannot

check these websites? If yes, why do you think this is so?” When it came to this

question around 35% of people answered and said they do feel anxious or uneasy

when they cannot check there social media accounts. Many people attributed this

uneasy feeling saying that if they cannot check then they feel “out of the loop.” Or,

disconnected from the world, like they are missing something. This number I also


believe is high enough to make the statement that the youth also has at least a slight

addiction to social media. Around 35% get a negative feeling when they cannot

interact with social media, and this shows the dependence on the Internet to feel

“normal.”

My third question was, “ Do you feel the need to be liked on these social

media websites? If yes, why?” My results said that around 30% of people answered

and said that they feel the need to be liked when on these social media sites. This

number was lower than I expected, I hypothesized that at least 50% of people would

say they wanted to be liked on these social websites. I believe it reality the number

could be higher, and my results skewed because people do not want to act like they

care about other people approval when in reality they may. But still drawing from

the results, 30% is still a high enough percentage to say that people care about

social media and their image on them. Social media to many it seems, feels like real

life because it can have real life repercussions. Many people cited for their reason

for caring about being liked on social media, was that they believed it affected their

image to others in real life.

My fourth question on my social media survey was, “ If you bring a laptop to

class, do you check social media websites during class time?” This question was

asked for me to evaluate the addictive powers of social media and also how they

distract the youth when they are students. My results showed that the 85% of

people who took my survey say they take their laptop to class. Around 75% of them

check social media websites during class time, with only 10% not, and around 15%

who do not take their laptops at all to class. This 75% is an astonishing figure to me,


showing that social media can without a doubt distract students from their class

work. Students bring laptops to class to aid them in their academic work, but it

seems that these social media websites are taking attention away from school when

in the classroom. I believe this statistic shows that social media can negatively

affect students in school, and can also be addictive to the youth of this nation.

My fifth question was also about social media in the classroom, and the

question was, “ Do you feel social media websites distract you during class?” I

thought the results for this question were interesting, showing that around 65% of

students think social media websites distract them during class. This showing that

10% of student check social media during class, but do not think it distracts them.

Nonetheless, 65% of students admitting to being distracted by social media during

class backs up my prior findings, and results that indicate that social media can

negatively affect students in school, and can also be addictive.

My sixth question was, “ Do you ever feel the need to check social media

websites while doing homework?” My survey yielded the results of around 95% of

students said that they feel the need to check social media websites while doing

homework. The few people that said they do not feel the need said they still check

them while doing homework but said that students need a study break. Even so,

this 95% of students in my survey saying they feel the need to check social media

when outside of class and doing homework, further proves that social media

negatively affects students by distracting them and taking their minds away from

school. Students feel the need to check these websites no matter when/where, and


if there is not a psychological addiction there is at least a habitually addiction where

students are so use to checking their social media accounts often it just feels normal.

My seventh question asked students,“ Do you feel social media websites are

affecting your schoolwork?” This question gave me some of the most surprising

results from my survey. Around 60% of people that replied said that their

schoolwork is not affect by social media. I found this rather surprising when so

many of the same people said that social media distracts them while in class and

while doing homework. I believe my results for this question were also skewed

because of people inability to see what really may be affecting them. I feel it almost

impossible to say that social media does not affect your schoolwork, when you check

it during class and while doing homework. I assumed that with around 95% of

people checking during their homework and 85% checking them during class, which

my results for this question would be in the same range when it comes to social

media affecting people in school.

My ninth question switched the topic a little, and asked, “ Have you ever

posted a picture or status of/about you consuming alcohol or illegal drugs?” Around

55% of people responded and said yes, with around 45% saying no. People posting

pictures of them drinking or consuming illegal narcotics could be detrimental when

it comes to finding a job in the work force. Employers nowadays frequently check

potential new employees social media accounts to find more information about

them. With above 50% of members of the youth talking openly or posting pictures

about drugs and alcohol this could affect them when it comes to employers. This

could also affect them legally, maybe of the people that took my survey were under


the age of 21 and are talking about underage drinking which is illegal, and also the

partaking in drugs is clearly illegal and talking about these topics on social media

websites could bring legal harm to these individuals.

My final question on my social media survey was, “ Has someone ever used a

social media website to harass or cyber bully you? If yes, what did they do?” My last

questions goal was to get information on if people use social media as a platform for

hate, and bullying. About 25% of people responded and said they have been cyber

bullied before, mostly saying people used Facebook or Twitter to harass them

numerous times, and to use these websites to slander their names and reputation.

This to me shows that social media can also negatively affect the youth, by being a

platform or a gateway to harassment. With social media so big in America, it has

become very easy to communicate with people anywhere at anytime, and

unfortunately it makes it much easier for bullies also.

V. Discussion

After extensive literary research using academic journals and the Internet, I

was able to analyze my social media survey results, and come to some conclusions.

Keeping in mind my research question is how does social media affect the youth,

with my hypothesizing it can negatively affect them in numerous ways.

My survey questions 1 and 2 were asked to see if the young people taking

this survey would show signs of Facebook addiction or Facebook addiction disorder

(FAD), and to see how often young people are checking these social media sites. I

believe that the more often they check these sites the more influence over them


these sites could have. My survey results yielded that 45.2% of the people who took

it, check their social media websites more than 10 or more times a day. I believe

this high number is accessing the site shows that many youths are at risk for FAD.

Young people are checking these sites more often and now they are easier to access

on the computer, and on their smart phones. Too many hours spent on a social

media website shows signs of FAD, and many youths are affected. “An American

psychologist believes so. In fact, he’s even introduced a new term to describe such

an addiction. FAD, or Facebook Addiction Disorder, is a condition that is defined by

hours spent on Facebook, so much time in fact that the healthy balance of the

individual’s life is affected. It has been said that approximately 350 million people

are suffering from the disorder”11

My second questioned asked the people taking my survey about if they feel

anxiety when they cannot check their social media accounts. My results said that

35% of them do feel anxiety or uneasiness, mostly attributing this feeling to “feeling

out of the loop” or “disconnected.” There is a set of six criteria that determine FAD;

a person must show signs of 2-3 over a 6-8 month period. One of them is, “

Withdrawal symptoms: These become obvious when one is restricted from using

Facebook because they have to participate in normal everyday activities. Common

signs are anxiety, distress and the need to talk about Facebook and what might have

been posted on their wall in their absence.”12 35% of the youth taking my survey

11 Summers, Amy. "Facebook Addiction Disorder — The 6 Symptoms of F.A.D. - SocialTimes.com." SocialTimes.com - Your Social Media Source. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Nov. 2011. <http://socialtimes.com/facebook-addiction-disorder-the-6-symptoms-of-f-a-d_b60403>.12 Summers, Amy. "Facebook Addiction Disorder — The 6 Symptoms of F.A.D. - SocialTimes.com." SocialTimes.com - Your Social Media Source. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Nov. 2011. <http://socialtimes.com/facebook-addiction-disorder-the-6-symptoms-of-f-a-d_b60403>.


said they feel this anxiety, which shows one of the negative affects of social media.

These first two questions asked on my survey yielded results that I expected which

were high rates for checking social media sites, and a high percentage on anxiety

from not checking these sites. Having an addiction is always a negative thing,

according to dictionary.com an addiction is, “the state of being enslaved to a habit or

practice or to something that is psychologically or physically habit-forming, as

narcotics, to such an extent that its cessation causes severe trauma.” If the youth are

enslaved to the habit of checking these websites, this is undoubtedly a negative

affect of social media on the youth.

My third question was asked to determine if any of the youth taking my

survey would show signs of Facebook depression. According to an MSNBC article, “

Add "Facebook depression" to potential harms linked with social media, an

influential doctors' group warns, referring to a condition it says may affect troubled

teens who obsess over the online site…But there are unique aspects of Facebook

that can make it a particularly tough social landscape to navigate for kids already

dealing with poor self-esteem, said Dr. Gwenn O'Keeffe, a Boston-area pediatrician

and lead author of new American Academy of Pediatrics social media guidelines.”13

Some social media websites such as Facebook can make some children feel worse,

when they feel they are not being liked on the site. My survey results said that 30%

said they wanted to be liked on social media websites. I honestly believed my

survey results would have had a higher percentage for this question. I think that

13 "Docs warn about teens and 'Facebook depression' - Health - Mental health - msnbc.com." msnbc.com - Breaking news, science and tech news, world news, US news, local news- msnbc.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Nov. 2011. <http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42298789/ns/health-mental_health/t/docs-warn-about-teens-facebook-depression/#.TsWbihwk8eF>.


many youths want people to like them, which would mean that even on social media

websites people would want to portray themselves a certain way, and in doing so

have people like them. I am not sure if my survey question was able to extract the

real truth out of the people taking my survey, which would be something I would

change in the future. But nonetheless I believe that 30% of people agreed that they

want to be liked says something about the virtual reality, and how seriously

members of the youth can take social media websites.

My questions 4-7 were asked to see if social media negatively affects the

youth when it comes to schooling. Now that the youth can check social media not

only on their computers but also on their phones I hypothesized many students

would be affected academically by social media. 72% of students who bring their

laptops to class admitted that they check social media websites during them, 65.6%

said they believe social media websites distracts them in class. 72% is an astounding

number, showing that students cannot stay off of social media websites, even during

class. Social media websites are taking students attention away from what is in

important in the classroom, and this could negatively affect their grades in school.

According to an MSNBC article, “ A new study says that college students who are on

Facebook while studying or doing homework wind up getting 20 percent lower

grades than students who don't have the social networking site in visual range, or

even running in the background on their computers or mobile phones.”14 The other

major distraction Facebook causes that could affect students grades, is when taking

14 "Facebook use can lower grades by 20 percent, study says - Technology & science - Tech and gadgets - Back to School - msnbc.com." msnbc.com - Breaking news, science and tech news, world news, US news, local news- msnbc.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Nov. 2011. <http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39038581/ns/technology_and_science-tech_and_gadgets/t/facebook-use-can-lower-grades-percent-study-says/#.TsWhkxwk8eF>.


notes in class. If a student is using their computer to take notes, how could they not

be tempted to check Facebook? But it has potentially harmful effects on their

learning in class. Students might stop listening and may miss some important notes

or the instructions to an assignment. This could affect their grades on tests and

eventually their final grade in the class.”15 My results said that 95% of students feel

the need to check social media websites while doing homework, but only 61.3%

think it affects their schoolwork. With so many students distracted by social media

websites in school and while doing homework, they will be performing worse in

school. Students cannot give their full concentration to their teachers or to their

students because social media is so tempting to them. These high results I believe

correspond with the question if many students have FAD. A majority of the students

who took my survey are distracted in class, and at home but neglect to see the fact

that it is affecting them. 61.3% is a high percentage, but the percentage should be

much higher when 95% are checking during homework and 72% during class. With

so many students being distracted from their academic studies in and out of the

classroom, I believe it is very clear that this is another negative affect of social media

on the youth.

My second to last question was asked to see if social media could negatively

affect the youth, when it comes to the judicial system. My question was, “ have you

ever posted a picture or status or/about you consuming alcohol or illegal drugs?”

My results said that 53.8% said yes they have. The problem with this is that

15 Hamik, Megan. " The Collegian » How does Facebook affect your study habits? ." The Collegian » Serving California State University, Fresno since 1922. . N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Nov. 2011. <http://collegian.csufresno.edu/2011/03/02/how-does-facebook-affect-your-study-habits/>.


students can get in trouble with the school they are apart of and the youth can also

get in trouble with the law by posting pictures and status about illegal activities.

“Students are getting in trouble with University administrators for incriminating

and inappropriate information or pictures on their social networking profiles that

are violations of school policy or the code of conduct. Students are being turned

down by employers for jobs, internships and even interviews because of the

information employers are finding out about students on their social networking

accounts. Compromising and inappropriate pictures, statements or other

information on student social networking accounts can hurt students' chances to

gain (or even be considered for) employment. Employers take the images that

students are portraying on social networking sites very seriously as a reflection of

personal character.”16 Social media websites provide an area where young people

feel safe to talk about and post what they choose to, the problem is many young

people fail to realize who could possible be looking at their social media profiles.

Many members of the youth feel as though only their friends may see what is going

on but they are far from the truth. Inappropriate social media accounts can cause

people to lose our on employment, and deal with disciplinary issues, I believe this is

also a negative affect of social media on the youth.

My final survey question was asked to access the safety of the youth on social

media websites. A growing topic of concern has been the issue of cyber-bullying on

16 "Online Social Networking Dangers and Benefits." University of the Pacific - Stockton, Sacramento and San Francisco. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Nov. 2011. <http://www.pacific.edu/Campus-Life/Safety-and-Conduct/Safety-and-Security/Online-Social-Networking-Dangers-and-Benefits-.html>.


these social media websites. These websites have made it easier for the youth to

connect, but it has also made is easier for bullies to connect with potential targets.

“Cyber-bullying and harassment are most often perpetrated by other teens and tend

to happen most to older girls and to teens of either gender who have a strong online

presence. It may take several forms: publicizing private instant messages, text

messages or e-mails posting threatening messages posting photos that will cause

embarrassment spreading rumors It's rare for harassment to spill over into real-

world conflicts, but it can still be a cause of emotional distress for teens.”17 Out of

the 100 people that took my survey, 25% of them said they have been cyber-bullied

in the past, a few saying they have done the bullying themselves. Out of these 25

people, many of them said people used social media sites to harass them through

hateful messages and negative statuses about them, hoping to hard their reputation

and embarrass them. If young people are being cyber-bullied though social media

websites, this could emotionally affect the victims. I would have to say that social

media being the potential breeding ground for bullies is another negative affect of

social media on the youth.

I am not saying that social media websites are the worst thing that could

happen to the youth, but I am concluding that these social media websites have

many negative aspects about them, and that these social media websites definitely

negatively affect the youth. These social media websites can become addictive, and

cause members of the youth to feel uneasy. These social media websites cause

17 "Problems With Social Networking and Teens - Life123." Articles and Answers about Life - Life123. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Nov. 2011. <http://www.life123.com/parenting/tweens-teens/social-networking/issues-with-teens-and-social-networking.shtml>.


many students distractions in the classrooms, and distract them from their studies

outside of the classroom as well. And these social media websites can also

negatively affect the youth by being potential breeding grounds for bullies, and a

place where young people divulge too much information and can be harmful. In the

end, through secondary and primary research I conclude that social media in fact

does negatively affect the youth.

VI. Conclusion

Social media websites are great tools for communication, and are here to

stay. Specific social media websites may phase out, but the social media websites

seems to be a stable part of the Internet. This study looked in depth on the negative

affects of social media websites on the youth.

Through this study it showed that many young people are showing signs of

Facebook Addiction Disorder, and also showed that a majority of young people who

use social media websites are distracted by these sites in and outside of the

classroom. This study also showed that many young people divulge too much

information on their social media accounts, which could affect student’s future

employment. Finally, this study showed that a good number of young people have

been affected by cyber bullying, and that social media websites can affect the youth

negatively this way also.

This study relied on information from young people on a survey for most of

the numerical information. Many of the questions I asked were opinion based, and

the information could be skewed if many of the surveyors don’t reveal what they


really think. With an online survey, I have to put my trust in the surveyors to

divulge true and accurate information.

In the end, social media websites can be an excellent communication medium

for people of all ages, and all over the world. Social media has changed

communication, and made it easy for people to connect with one another in ways we

never thought before. These social media websites have come with some

drawbacks, and negative aspects that affect the youth but through research we can

understand these negative aspects and prevent or reduce the affects of them on

young people in America.

Work Cited

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6) "Facebook use can lower grades by 20 percent, study says - Technology & science - Tech and gadgets - Back to School - msnbc.com." msnbc.com - Breaking news, science and tech news, world news, US news, local news- msnbc.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Nov. 2011. <http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39038581/ns/technology_and_science-tech_and_gadgets/t/facebook-use-can-lower-grades-percent-study-says/#.TsWhkxwk8eF>.

7) Fong, Sandra. "Where in Social Media are Young Teens?" Ogilvy PR 360 Digital Influence Blog. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Oct. 2011. <http://blog.ogilvypr.com/2011/02/where-in-social-media-are-young-teens/>.

8) Gordon, Serena. "Teens Divulge Risky Behavior on Social Networking Sites." Washington Post: Breaking News, World, US, DC News & Analysis. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Nov. 2011. <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/05/AR200

9) Hamik, Megan. " The Collegian » How does Facebook affect your study habits? ." The Collegian » Serving California State University, Fresno since 1922. . N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Nov. 2011. <http://collegian.csufresno.edu/2011/03/02/how-does-facebook-affect-your-study-habits/>.

10) Lenhart, Amanda, Mary Madden, Aaron Smith, and Alexandra Macgill. "Summary of Findings | Pew Internet & American Life Project ." Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project . N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Oct. 2011. <http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2007/Teens-and-Social-Media/1-Summary-of-Findings.aspx>.

11) "Online Social Networking Dangers and Benefits." University of the Pacific - Stockton, Sacramento and San Francisco. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Nov. 2011. <http://www.pacific.edu/Campus-Life/Safety-and-Conduct/Safety-and-Security/Online-Social-Networking-Dangers-and-Benefits-.html>.

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<http://www.life123.com/parenting/tweens-teens/social-networking/issues-with-teens-and-social-networking.shtml>.

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Survey Questionnaire


1. What is your age and gender?

2. How many times a day do you check your social media websites? (Estimate)

3 or less

4 - 6

6-8

8-10

10 or more

3. Do you feel anxious or uneasy when you cannot check these websites? If Yes,

why do you think this is so?

4. Do you feel the need to be liked on these social media websites? If yes, why?

5. If you bring a laptop to class, do you check social media websites during class time?

Yes

No

N/A

6. Do you feel social media websites distract you during class?

Yes

No

N/A

7. Do you ever feel the need to check social media websites while doing homework?

8. Do you feel social media websites are affecting your schoolwork?

Yes

No


N/A

9. Have you ever posted a picture or status of/about you consuming alcohol or illegal drugs?

Yes

No

N/A

10. Has someone ever used a social media website to harass or cyber bully you? If yes,

what did they do?
