PRINCETON, WV (WVNS) – While browsing social media may seem harmless on the surface, it can have a negative impact on mental health, which raises an important question: How does social media use affect children?
Social media can be a great resource for making connections, meeting new people, and expressing yourself.
There are good things about it, but like many things, there are bad things too.
59News visited Princeton to learn more about the impact social media has, especially on the mental health of children and teens.
Crystal Athey, a mental health therapist at Beautiful Minds Counseling Center, said social media can make children think about themselves in a negative light, which can affect how they feel.
“One of the downsides of social media is definitely bullying. It usually starts at school, but it happens at home too. We also see a lot of body dysmorphia because social media has a distorted view of what a body should look like. Teenagers as they grow up feel like they should look a certain way. There’s a lot of depression that comes with that,” Athey said.
As mentioned earlier, social media comes with some positive outcomes.
Asay said social media can be a source of community.
“There are a lot of kids who don’t go to school. School is their only way to talk to their peers, to meet people and to connect. It’s a way for them to express their individuality on their own platform and get their own individuality by finding what they like on social media,” Athey told 59News.
Asay said he believes there are always positive and negative aspects to social media.
She said it was the responsibility of parents and guardians to protect their children from harmful content on social media.
