Social media has become something that controls our lives. We use it to communicate with each other, meet new people, and stay up to date with what is happening in the world around us. However, social media has become very addictive and can harm young users. Students are the target audience of platforms like TikTok and Instagram. But, how does social media affect the school environment and how students learn?
Students have started to use social media as a main source of communication and socialization. This has become very problematic when they log on to a social media app to respond to a dm, then get sucked into the algorithm of posts. At school, this becomes even worse. Ms.Smith, a history teacher at IHS, stated “Social media can be extra distracting, especially for kids who are sucked into drama happening at school or somewhere else.” Kids will mindlessly scroll on social media when they are supposed to be working. By paying more attention to social media during class, it can cause them to fall behind and become stressed out.
Cyberbullying has been introduced with the rise of social media. Teachers have reported that it has become more common and worse than the typical form of bullying. Students will go online and hide behind “anonymous” profiles as they terrorize their peers. As a result, students may fall out of touch with their peers and even develop mental health problems.
Social media can also cause rumors to spread a lot quicker which can be harmful to students and even teachers. One platform that made this really bad was Yik Yak. This was an anonymous platform where students could share whatever they wanted with whomever was in their area. Students and teachers stated that this caused a lot of drama within the school and led to a rise in the amount of cyberbullying.
There are also minimal guidelines set up by social media companies to protect young users from being on the platforms for longer than is needed. IHS senior, Dustin Lombardo, reported that on weekends he uses social media for over 7 hours, while during the week it ranges from 3-4 hours, sometimes longer. Other students reported using social media for a lot longer, causing them to be distracted from homework. Constantly being on social media causes students to become isolated from the outside world and lose touch with what is happening around them. This can be very dangerous and also cause students a lot of mental health problems.
The lack of guidelines and parental controls can ensure that algorithms expose young users to harmful or inappropriate content for their age. Being exposed to such content can impact students’ physical and mental health as well as put them in risky situations.
Social media is not all that bad. It has also allowed students to keep in touch with their friends, and family, and meet people from other countries. Social media can also cause schools to connect and provide them with a platform to communicate and set up opportunities with each other to collaborate. Ms. Smith states “Social media has allowed different schools and organizations to form partnerships which can help students participate in important causes.” When students are able to connect with their community and participate in meaningful activities it can cause them to become more motivated to do well in school and join other activities.
Social media also allows students to have access to what is going on in the world. This provides them with a place to support each other, other people, and causes, and also better understand what is going on. Dustin stated: “I use social media as a place to get news. It is usually where I hear about things first and I try to fact check the information, but it is very quick and accessible.” Social media usually provides news in an interesting and easy-to-understand format which makes it an ideal place for students to learn about what is happening.
Students can also use social media to connect with their culture. It can give them a place to learn more about their family history and culture. Ms. Smith reports: “I mainly use Facebook to keep in touch with relatives and friends. It is an easy place to share photos and stay updated with each other.” These platforms allow people to connect in a convenient way and meet new people. Connecting with culture and others allows students to find a sense of belonging and self.
Even though there are a lot of positive effects that social media brings, social media negatively impacts the school environment and students’ learning. Students frequently take advantage of the platforms to talk with each other during class. Algorithms cause students to become addicted which causes them to not talk with each other in person and not pay attention to class. It also can lead to severe bullying. Social media has very negative effects on the learning environment. Students should try and set time limits for themselves, set aside time to spend with family and friends or do activities they find interesting. This may lead them to become more engaged in school and more interested in what life has to offer.
