Finding someone who does not use a social media platform nowadays is nearly impossible. Whether it is Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or even LinkedIn, social media continues to evolve and take up a growing portion of our daily lives.

58.4% of the world's population uses social media. The average daily usage is 2 hours and 27 minutes.

  • 4.62 billion people around the world now use social media, and 424 million new users have come online within the last 12 months.

The dramatic rise in social media use prompts the question, "How much is too much?"

Social media presents risks to children or even adults, but parents who try to monitor their kids' activities online secretly are wasting their time.

Nobody can deny that Facebook has altered the landscape of social interaction, particularly among young people. Nearly two-thirds of Snapchat's regular news consumers are aged 18-29.

We are just now starting to see solid psychological research demonstrating both the positives and the negatives," said Larry D. Rosen, Ph.D., professor of psychology at California State University, Dominguez Hills.

In "How Social Networks Can Both Help and Harm Our Kids," Rosen discussed potential adverse effects, including: 

Lack of Privacy

Most of the time, personal attacks and misuse of information are some of the threats social media users face. The users are to blame as they share a post that should not be in the public eye.

The confusion arises from a lack of understanding of how an online profile's private and public features work. Unfortunately, by the time the content can cause problems in people's personal and professional lives. Communicate anytime, anywhere, in-depth with his actual goal.

The rise of social media addiction

The brain releases the hormone dopamine when we open and check our cell phones and scroll through social media. Dopamine motivates and reinforces behavior that makes us feel good, creating addiction.

Adaptation of aggressive tendencies:

Teens who use Facebook more often show more self-centered tendencies. In contrast, young adults who have a strong Facebook presence show more signs of other psychological disorders, including unsociable behaviors, mania, and aggressive tendencies.

Overuse of media has terrible effects:

Daily overuse of social media harms the health of all children, preteens, and teenagers by making them more at risk of anxiety, depression, and other psychological disorders and more susceptible to future health problems.

Decreased mental health

Social media and mental health have been discussed in recent years. All social media platforms are designed to keep it scrolling on the app for as long as possible. Over-usage has been directly linked to anxiety and depression, especially in teens.

Diminished confidence

Comparing ourselves to our peers and influencers can damage our confidence. It causes us dissatisfaction and develops FOMO (fear of missing out).

Unrealistic expectations 

Apps such as Instagram and Snapchat have millions of filters for users. Filters create false realities and unrealistic expectations. Instagram has tried to combat this by warning that a filter has been used on pictures, although this is only limited to filters used on the app itself. It has many downsides as they can change their appearance to virtually unrecognizable.

Toxic hustle culture

The adverse effects of social media can be overwhelming as most people only post the good parts of their lives. This charge the concept of hustle culture and consumerism to the extreme. As we are constantly exposed to this content, there becomes a sense of competitiveness amongst our peers.

Create complex relationship

Most families these days provide their children with technological devices like smartphones or tablets, allowing them to connect to social media early on. Some families even communicate through social media messages within their households, which can create complex relationship structures within a family.

Cause to get lower grades

Facebook can be distracting and can badly impact learning. Studies found that middle school, high school, and college students who checked Facebook at least once during a 15-minute study period achieved low grades.

Cons of Social Media

  • Can spark information overload and feelings of overwhelm

  • Can make children, teens, and young adults vulnerable to cyberbullying and peer pressure

  • Prompts questions related to privacy, data retention, and data storage

  • Can increase feelings of social isolation or loneliness

  • Can evoke feelings of "FOMO" or the "Fear of Missing Out."

  • May promote procrastination and distraction

  • May lead to sleep disruption and a sedentary lifestyle

  • Can become fertile grounds for criminal and illegal activity

  • It May become addictive, resulting in excessive usage

  • Can evoke feelings of inadequacy, and issues with one's self-image

Conclusion:

Encouraged parents to assess their child's activities on social networking sites and discuss removing inappropriate content or connections to people who appear problematic. He said that parents also need to pay attention to the online trends and the latest technologies, websites, and applications children are using.

Communication is the crux of parenting. They need to talk to their kids, or listen to them, as the ratio of a parent listening to a parent talk should be at least five-to-one. Talk one minute and listen for five.