Social Media and its effects on youth mental health

by Easen Houng

Physical appearances is one the biggest concerns of any human, but especially amongst youth. Whether you’re concerned about how pretty you are or how in shape you are, every little detail means a lot to people especially when you are still searching and finding yourself as you grow into adulthood. That’s why the recent rise of social media and its “Influencers” can be something of a poison. 

The beautiful, perfect, and lavish personas you see online do more than just influence youths to strive for greatness. It can cause toxicity, hate, as well as unreal expectations for both you and your inter-personal relationships amongst friends, family, and significant others. We are already seeing the beginning waves of increasing amounts of clout-chasing, harsher physical prejudices, and as well as just lack of maturity in how our dating culture has developed with the surge of social media and its unreal representation of life.

But it is not all bad, real influencers can impact people in real ways and show love and appreciation for different kinds of people as well as niche topics, but it really is all in how you absorb what is given to you. Remember that no matter what, you make your own decisions and you can choose who or what you surround yourself with. As every little aspect that surrounds you will affect who you are. 

“I drew joji because he has been one of the greatest influences in my life. His music has changed and shaped the way I am today, and his growth and change from being the internet weirdo to now a successful artist really shows how much somebody can accomplish when they really put their mind to it. From the time he was pink guy on the internet, he always battled severe mental issues, and the healing of both his mental health as well as him physically is one of the greatest inspirations in my life.”

-Houng