This story was written by Matravers student, Lily Morris, who was recently on work experience with White Horse News.
–
In today’s society, teenagers in the United Kingdom are confronted by an overwhelming amount of pressure arising from two major sources: academia and the pervasive influence of social media. The incessant nature of such matters has targeted the mental health and well-being of young individuals both across the nation and more locally in Westbury.
Social media platforms have become central to youths’ perception of society, providing a distorted lens through which they can observe the lives of others. However, with many social media users being implicitly motivated by the means of promoting their own success and affluence, the realistic portrait of society has become obscured. Flaunting designer closets, straight As and extravagant holidays has transcended social media’s intended purpose of cultivating creativity and socialising online; the influence of this – teenagers internalising false expectations.
“I believe that the pressures on teens are exacerbated by the increase in social media uptake and it is having a negative effect on how teens perceive themselves”, says local student Sarah Saunders.
“When the two powers of exam stress and social media unite, teenagers are faced with an unprecedented burden. The recent emergence of academic content on platforms such as TikTok, has meant that alleviating pastimes have been invaded by greater sources of anxiety. ‘Study with me’ videos can be seen as encouraging unhealthy hours of study and perpetuating a cycle of disappointment and worry.”
In an attempt to navigate their subsequent anxieties, teenagers might be inclined to engage in rebellious behaviour – an attitude that Jon Hubbard, the director of youth charity 4Youth South West, says is an inevitability.
“You are young people, you will rebel,” he said. “That’s part of being a young person. Part of growing up is about young people being able to find themselves. Part of that change that happens in adolescence, as you become an adult, is you learn to think for yourself – this is a good thing.”
In Westbury, there has been an effort to eradicate teenage misrepresentation through youth clubs, the recent Young People’s Awards, and town functions. These events all bring attention to the achievements of Westbury youth, rather than the issues that arise when young people are faced with social pressures. Positively, organisations such as 4Youth, that deliver detached youth work, focus on helping young people by running youth clubs and counseling sessions.
Jon Hubbard commented further on how the relationship between youth mental health and social media activity should be approached, “The division of labour should be that central government should be the rule makers. Locally, what councils could and should do, and they could do this now, they don’t need to wait for national government to introduce legislation; local councils now can educate and inform young people about the dangers of social media.”
Clearly, there is a society-wide knowledge that social media usage comes at a certain detriment to mental health, specifically that of teenagers. The problems faced by young people today assert immense pressure and create unrealistic expectations that should not be disregarded or ignored. In the spirit of change, we must urge the central government to take greater action by considering new laws and policies. Social media does not have to be a malicious power.
Hope of a positive transformation comes in the form of the Online Safety Bill, currently making its way through Parliament, that will protect social media users and control access to such platforms. This could possibly be the shift that allows social media to globally empower our youth.
By Lily Morris.
