In this age of digital connectivity, whereby location is only a matter of natural landmarks like mountains and rivers, celestial bodies like the sun and moon, and maps and charts alone.   Social media has become an integral part of most people’s daily life. The first thing to do in the morning and the last activity to conclude at night, offering various platforms for communication, self-expression, information sharing, matchmaking, money making, etc. However, alongside its many beautiful benefits, social media comes with an infested host of problems that have dire consequences for individuals, families, and society. Applauding that it has bridged distances and created a host of virtual communities, it has also fostered a range of adverse effects contributing to the digital age’s growing woes. These include:

Mental Health issues: Anxiety, Depression, and Unrealistic Expectations Among Youth
One of the bitterness associated with the impact of social media is its effect on mental health. It is no longer news that the excessive use of social media increases rates of anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues among adolescents and young adults. Studies conducted by the National Library of Medicine have suggested that the excessive use of platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter can lead to feelings of inadequacy, anxiety, and depression. Socialism on social media results in constant comparison of the lives of others that creates unrealistic expectations, particularly among the younger generation (these are the Millennials ranking at the top as the most active demographic on social media, with 68.8% of them estimated to use social in 2024. Gen Z tops the list, with 35% using social media for more than two hours daily.) who often feel pressured to measure up or maintain a perfect online image. Another woe is the fact that social media can be a breeding ground for cyberbullying and harassment; users are often subjected to hurtful comments and malicious behavior towards them. This toxic environment often leaves lasting emotional scars and erodes the self-esteem of victims of this taste.
Misinformation, Privacy Breaches, and Erosion of Public Trust”
Another bitter taste of the use of social media is the spread of malicious, incomplete half-truths, misinformation, and the manipulation of public opinion. Fake and misleading content goes viral on social platforms at the speed of milliseconds; guess what happens after that: confusion and distrust between friends, colleagues, parents, and worst-off married partners. Most algorithms are created to spring up avenues for engagement, sometimes amplifying divisive or false information, leading to polarization and social conflict. Furthermore, privacy concerns are not considered; personal data is harvested and used for targeted advertising or, in some cases, surveillance without the consent of those whose lives are being used. Users are often ignorantly or coarse with the desire to trend and surrender partial or complete control of their information to known and unknown individuals and organizations, leading to potential breaches that threaten their security and identity. The activities of fraudsters have made what is authentic look fake; it is difficult to recognize truth and false anymore. Everything seems natural and fake at the same time. There is no longer public trust but chaos.
“With so many sources of information online, some children might struggle to make sense of what is true” This is a quote from Internetmatters.org
Increase in crime among younger generation
Access to diverse information from various sources without the necessary censoring from the social media gives room for people to get fed with information that are not in tandem with their mental abilities to comprehend and apply the necessary filter of right and wrong. This has pushed kids and children into the life and choice of the grown up and adults. Below is a caption from a website highlighting the negative impact of the use of social media.
“Experts have warned time and time again about the extreme lengths young people will go to for attention online. Sadly, for one 15-year-old in Mexico, she paid the cost with her own life. Yazmin Esmeralda discovered a submachine gun stashed in a closet at her grandmother’s house. She asked her younger brother to film her with the gun, hoping it would look good on TikTok. But tragically, she shot herself in a freak accident while making the video. Reporters say she died immediately.”
One of the recent trending headlines is the menace of school shootings by kids and teenagers, underage. News agencies got an addition to their headlines that read “17 killed in a mass shooting at high school’ another reads “Georgia school shooting’ and so on. These children are exposed to things they see on the internet and social media. Information being shared is not rated and censored; worst of all, it presents itself just by thinking about it.
Wasteful use of time
Have you planned to carry out a task by a set time, and along the way, you find yourself way gone past the time just because, as you were about to carry out the task, a message or a prompt notification appeared on your phone or tablet or maybe through your watch. You decided to see what it was? Well, you are not alone. A lot of people have suffered from similar experiences. Social media interestingly have some excellent things to entertain and get you amused. However, the lope side of it is that it is intoxicating; once you get hooked on something exciting and believe when I say that there are pretty interesting things that could get your attention away from worries, anxiety, or depression, you will end up spending a very considerable amount of productive time on social media without knowing till those seconds, minutes, hours are gone. Then you realize that you haven’t achieved anything—no wonder most developed countries implement non-phone policies at work.

While social media can offer connection and entertainment, it also has significant drawbacks. The mental health impact, coupled with the spread of misinformation and privacy violations, highlights the need for a more thoughtful and regulated approach to these platforms. To navigate the woes of social media, users must be mindful of how they engage with it, ensuring that it enhances rather than undermines their well-being and the quality of information they consume.

By Adison Adi Andekunyi

Adi4son@gmail.com

07057974140