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Ms. Bayes
Argumentative Essay
29 November 2018
Social Media is Not Beneficial to Teenagers
Are you really being social? Social media has become an addicting part of most people’s
lives. Unfortunately, there are several downsides. Active social media users are often dealing
with cyberbullying, stress, personality disorders and false information.
While social media can be a great way to connect with family members, it can also
expose you to unwanted strangers. That being said, Source 1 provides evidence that some teens
may become miserable due to cyberbullying. This can also lead to depression and insecurity.
Parents are not wrong to worry if your child has a sudden change in attitude. Social media may
be beneficial when it comes to relatives and friends who are distant, but it can also hurt you as
well.
Another effect of social media can be stress. According to Source 1, stress is a bad side
effect of addiction. Fear of missing out while your away can cause teenagers to forget about their
real life relationships. A common scene of this is the dinner table. Teenagers are often seen on
their electronics instead of conversing with those around them.
There has also been evidence that social media is tied with personality disorders. Source
2 states that “addictive social media users reflected increased narcissistic personality traits.”
Teenagers can lose their confidence using social media thanks to comments on their posts. They
will begin to subconsciously worry about how they look. This is also a sign of insecurity.
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Social media is also used constantly for homework. While it is nice to have information
at the touch of your fingers, there is also the spread of false information. Source 2 states “that lies
spread six times faster than the truth on Twitter.” This shows evidence that the “hit news” might
not be true at all. Even on other websites there has been speculation that their are more lies than
truth. Teenagers having research assignments might cite false information without knowing they
did so.
Overall social media has become a large part of our lives. teenagers are also dealing with
the troubles of social media. That being said, social media is not beneficial to teenagers.