WHAT WE THINK
How teenagers'/adolescents' mental health’s affected by social media?
Obsession with likes, ostentation and immediacy are behavioural characteristics present in social networks, thus influencing the mental health of individuals.
Over time, social networks have been developing a greater impact on the lives of teenagers. They can use social media to find community and support, but their mental health is often negatively affected by this culture of comparison. The “perfect life” shared on social networks is the result of the search for acceptance by the other. The more likes and friends, the more popular the user is and considered influence on others.
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In 2017, a Royal Society for Public Health study found that Instagram was the worst platform for users' mental health, related to sleep, bullying, anxiety, depression, loneliness and body image problems and banalized the phrase: "What I see in the other is what I want to be."
Nowadays, individuals may develop low self-esteem and suffer in silence because of negative online comments and contacts that have thus influenced their self-confidence, making social isolation a reality.
An example of the consequence of overuse of social networks is the rates of depression and suicide among teenagers in the United States that have soared since 2007, 30% among boys and 100% among girls, and today there are more cases of suicide than men. homicide among 15 to 19 year olds in the country.
Do social networks delay human psychological and intellectual development?
There is research that proves the "widening" of childhood, which means that 18-year-olds now act as 15-year-olds and 15-year-olds as 13-year-olds. Childhood now extends to high school.” Which can be negative since with this late development comes also a dependence on parents, for example. However, social networks help to improve the social skills of their users and also to build a sense of community and society.
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Contributing to a sense of belonging, information about health conditions, emotional support, self-identity and self-expression, these factors are developed mainly on Facebook and Twitter.It is also possible to note that positive messages, posts and comments are relevant elements in social support for people with symptoms of loneliness and depression - the positive effects were even stronger when contacts were between close friends.
In conclusion, overuse of internet and social networks can be directly related to the exponential increase in anxiety and depression and suicidal thoughts.
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by Inês Martins
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Retrieved in November 2019, from:
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How do fashion trends influence teenagers?
The clothes we choose reflect our mood and style as well as the level of confidence.
Teenagers are probably the most concerned with fashion. Fashion and image are both related and have a huge impact on a teenager's lifestyle. For them, fashion is incredibly important as it is a way of showing the world who they are or who they want to be. While some people prefer shopping at malls, others prefer to shop online for more variety.
As people grow older, they form themselves through the clothes they wear. And in the case of adolescence, this same phase is marked by the search for a personal identity.
The young generation tends to imitate anything they see wearing as long as it looks "modern" or "stylish". Teenagers quickly follow fashion trends to adjust. Teenage fashion sense is affected by many factors.
• Friend’s pressure
Friend’s pressure significantly affects a teenager's daily choices on issues such as alcohol and drug abuse, fashion or academic performance. This same pressure can be positive or negative.
Most teens are influenced by the people around them because they feel they need to fit in. Duplicating the fashion around you, gives them a sense of belonging to today's world. Teenagers wear fashion to maintain friendships and shape their self-esteem. In most cases, teens dress the same way because it provides a feeling of belonging to a group of friends and affirmation.
• Body image
This problem affects teenage girls and boys. The media and magazines influence the physical appearance of teenagers girls and boys. For example, when a skinny model is on the cover of a magazine, a teenager is able to do whatever it takes to look like them. This has been the result of many lifestyle changes among adolescents and harmful approaches such as eating disorders.
• Media and Magazines
Teenagers use magazines and media to gauge future and present trends and decide what to buy and what not to buy. Fashion magazines play a significant role in a teenager's lifestyle and sense of style, as most buy clothes after reading the latest magazines.
• Celebrities
Teenagers worship the celebrities they choose to follow. And so they look for inspiration in fashion. When the teenager sees their favourite celebrity dressed in something they like, they buy the same (or similar) clothes to look like them. Basically, teens discover themselves through external stimuli. Celebrities provide the external basis from which teens evaluate their opinions, thoughts and associations.
In conclusion, fashion changes the way teenagers act, dress, think, thus changing their lives.
Teenagers can be good trend setters as they invent their own styles and aim to become a fashion icon for their friends.
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by Inês Martins
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Retrieved in November 2019, from:
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https://artdaily.cc/news/106451/The-Impact-of-Fashion-Trends-on-Teenagers#.XfadHS2tFQI
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https://www.fashionologymag.com/influence-fashion-teenagers/
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