2016 MBA Thesis Project on Social Media and Adolescence

1. Social Media
And
Adolescence
By: Katrina Wallace

2. Overview
 Why this topic
 Social Media Sites overview
 What is Adolescence / Social Media
 Impacts Social Media has
Social- Family, Friends, and Teachers
Physical- Weight and Eyesight
Emotional- Peer Influence and harassment
Physiological- Internet addiction and Brain Plasticity
 Conclusion- Where do adolescents and adults go from here?

4. Adolescence
★ “Describes the teenage years between 13 and 19 and can be considered the
transitional stage from childhood to adulthood.”
★ Many physical and psychological changes occur at these ages, yet may start
earlier as early as age 9
★ Social Media has
changed the way children
interact in every way
○ Is this change for the better
or worse?

5. Social Media
★ “Social Media is a computer- mediated online tool that allows people,
companies, and other organizations to create, share, or exchange
information.”
★ Top sites for the adolescent age are Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest
and Tumblr
★ These sites are also some of the top sites for individuals in their twenties

6. Social Media Snapshot
★ Almost half of the 2016 population
uses social media
★ These numbers will continue to
increase and the younger
generation turns into adults and
future

7. Social Impact
Positive Impact
★ Strengthens family relationship through ties, sharing and such
○ Example Divorced parents
★ Prime positive example is divorced parents being able to see their child all the
time
★ 57% of teens have connected with someone on social media or internet games

8. Social Impact Continued
Negative Impact
★ Parents lose trust in child because of what they display on social media
★ Face to face conversations no longer exit and are challenging for and adolescent
★ “Children no longer go to their parents for comfort or support, they’d much rather vent
on a social media site.”
○ This has changed the comfortability level in dealing with emotions
★ Discovering- The idea of parents finding out information they would never have known
if it was not for social media
★ Adolescent - Teacher friendships -- not tolerated in most schools ---“Many sources
relate this form of interaction to being in a bar.”

9. Physical Impact
★ Impact on weight
○ Causing both under and overweight adolescents
○ External food cues such as a site dedicated to food can evoke to a desire to eat
○ More common is under eating due to social media sites
★ Cyber bullying- Children are pressured by both other children and in some cases those seen
as adults
★ Social Media makes adolescents want to change the way they look and this is seen as
acceptable
○ Some sites have filters that can contort the way an individual looks
○ Images of famous individuals on these sites are unrealistic

10. Physical Impact
★ Impact on eyesight
○ Obvious yet very overlooked problem
★ “More than 50% of computer users (in adolescents) experience eye strain, headaches,
blurred vision, and other visual symptoms related to the sustained use”
★ Children are unable to see signs such as pictures on a wall after prolonged use of the
internet

11. Emotional Impact
★ Peer Influence
○ The same brain circuits that are activated by eating chocolate and winning the
lottery are activated when adolescents see a large number of “likes”
○ Influence of friends is more dramatic than that of parents
○ Studies show that “neutral” posts are not as well received in comparison to “risky”
posts therefore children feel a need to posts risky posts and have a loss of
cognitive control

12. Emotional Impact Continued
★ Increased anxiety- According to many mental health consultants social media has
become “the largest anxiety- provoking factor”
★ Idea of compare and despair- adolescence realizing social media is about quantity not
quality
★ This need for perfectionism can lead to OCD or depression, which is linked to the
increase of prescribed medicine for children
★ The university of Chicago found that social media is
“More addictive than cigarettes, and harder to abstain from than
a cocktail might be” ( when compared to adults)

13. Psychological to Physiological Impact
★ “Dealing with the normal functions of an organism”
★ “12 percent of children who spend no time on social networking websites
have symptoms of mental- ill health, the figure rises to 27 % for those who are
glues to the sites for three hours or more.” Dr Zwanberg (child psychiatrist)
★ Girls are more likely to fall victim to these sites
★ Increased fear of others knowing how and adolescent identifies his or her self

14. Psychological to Physiological Impact

15. Physiological Impact
★ Harassment on social media
○ Children do not understand and are unable to deal with harassment properly
★ “Sex sells whether you are 13 or 35” - Huffington
Post
★ The was adolescents are acting is changing do to
this knowledge as well the the reactions he or sh
may get on a social media site
★ Adolescents are also learn at a young age that
harassment may not be handled the appropriate
way

16. Physiological Impact
★ Internet addiction
○ Scientists have shows it is more addicting than any other substance on the market
○ Alter egos are made to fill personal voids
○ Berge Facebook Addiction Scale

17. Physiological Impact- Addiction Scale
 The scale was developed by Dr. Cecile Andraessen from Norway.
1. You spend a lot of time thinking about Facebook or planning how to use it.
2. You feel and urge to use Facebook more and more.
3. You ise Facebook in order to forget about personal problems.
4. You have tried to cut down on the use of Facebook without success
5. You becomre restless or troubled if you are prohibited from using Facebook.
6. You Facebook so much that it has has a negative impact on your job/studies.

18. Physiological Impact
★ Brain plasticity
○ “Refers to the brain’s ability to change throughout like. The human brain has the amazing
ability to reorganize itself by forming new connections between brain cells.”
○ Less able to monitor facial movements and cues but much faster with the use of technology
★ Impact on adults
○ Social networking use among internet users ages 50 and older has nearly doubled—from 22% to
42% over the past year.
○ No exact proof that social media has led to the increase of troubled marriages
○ Yet according to CNN “Approximately one in three divorces resulted from social media-related
disagreements”

19. Where do children and adults go from
here?
★ Opportunities and challenges that are now faced due to social media through
the topics expressed in prior slides
○ Endless educational and job opportunities due to technology and social media
○ Individuals especially parents must comprehend and accept their child’s decision, yet it is also
the parent's job to “mold” their child and teach the correct values at a young age
★ If a parent sees his or her child experiencing and of the impacts discuss it is
best to take action rather than avoid the situation
★ Technology as well as social media sites will be constantly changing and
individuals of this day and age must learn to adapt to these ways

20. References
http://www.psychologicalscience.org/news/releases/social-media-likes-impact-teens-brains-and-behavior.html#.WCNI7zgo6wI
https://www.anxiety.org/social-media-causes-anxiety
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/health/children/11943810/Excessive-social-media-use-harms-childrens-mental-health.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sue-scheff/teens-sexual-harassment-a_b_9310060.html
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/275361.php
http://www.addictionrecov.org/Addictions/index.aspx?AID=43
http://www.cnn.com/2016/07/12/health/social-media-brain/
http://www.pewinternet.org/2010/08/27/older-adults-and-social-media/
http://www.cnbc.com/2014/07/08/social-networking-linked-to-divorce-marital-unhappiness.html