Throughout the years, social media has evolved and grown into a society of its own. With both positive and negative impacts, it has made significant changes in society.
Numbers of bullying and harassment have increased because of the high usage of cell phones. While it existed before technology and social media became more relevant, the introduction of social media has created a new forum for these negative interactions to occur.
A study done in 2022 by the Pew Research Center found that 46% of teens said they experienced cyberbullying when online or on their cell phones. The rise of smartphones and social media sites has led to a more public forum where bullies can exploit victims online.
At Kennedy, Student Resource Officer Andrew Tran deals with problems between students regarding social media frequently.
“A lot of the issues I see between students stems from social media,” Tran said. “When I was younger we never had that. If we had problems it would be in person and fewer forms of harassment and bullying would happen.”
There are differences of opinion between adults and children on the impact of social media. Most adults didn’t experience social media when they were kids and lack perspective on the broad topic while children often agree there is both a good and bad side.
“I think that social media is good and bad. I think it’s bad because it sets standards for people and it can lead to unhealthy lifestyles,” sophomore Jailyn Waters said.
The impact social media has on our lives cannot be narrowed simply to negative experiences.
“I think that it does have its plus sides,” sophomore Malick Sogur said. “It can spread knowledge when used properly however it can be used negatively to cyberbully other students and or spread misinformation to peers. If we look at what happened with the threat on social media that again shows that if students misuse social media it can lead to those negative impacts.”
Social media is a cesspool of false information. Some is dangerous, like the threat made against the Cedar Rapids School District at the beginning of October. Threats like those can create panic. People have taken advantage of using social media to reach many people in these situations.
“I think it’s really troubling that one person can create so much panic and chaos throughout a community because of irresponsible posts,” Tran said. “You know obviously we are here to be a part of society and I think as long as we are moving forward positively then great but if we are using it as a tool to create chaos and disrupt people’s lives and mental health and all we’ve gotta figure out a better way.”
