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The Fashion Industry and Its Effects

The Fashion Industry and Its Effects Written By: Aparna Syam  What is the Fashion Industry?      The fashion industry is one of the fastest growing industries with an annual growth rate of 21%. It is an industry worth 30 billion dollars and employs millions of people all over the world.     An industry as big as this is bound to have a profound effect on the lives of a “normal people” everywhere but the manifestation of those effects can vary depending on the socio-economic factors that one experiences. The Fashion Industry and the Socio-Political Ramifications      Most industries fuelled by multinational corporations are notorious for the exploitation of their factory workers and the fashion industry is no different.     Brands such as Zara, H&M and many more who market themselves as “affordable” often cut corners by forcing their workers to work incredibly long hours for less than a minimum wage....
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How Social Media Affects a Teenager's Mental Health

How Social Media affects a Teenager's Mental Health

Written by Makisa Vimalanathan 


Teenagers in this time and generation have been shaped by various circumstances including personal experiences, environment, and families, but have you ever questioned how social media has contributed to the mental health of a teenager? Socail media is a significant part of their daily routine. Social media plays a big role in teen culture today. Nowadays, growing up for many adolescents means being connected through social media and technology devices. Many teenagers have positive experiences and feelings online, but there are many risks and dangers involved as well. The excessive use of social media can eventually harm the teenager’s mental health. Most teenagers believe that social media is more of a benefit than a consequence, but using social media can actually cause more harm in many cases.


Possible Risks and Negatives Teenage Social Media Use 


There are many different risks and uncertainties of using social media as a teenager. The potential risks of social media use in teenagers include the following:

  • Interference with sleep, homework, exercise or family activities 

  • Cyberbullying

  • Exposure to harmful and inappropriate content

  • Identity theft

  • Oversharing personal information 

  • Exposure to dangerous and unknown people


The negatives of social media tend to always feel more consequential than the positives of social media. When teenagers utilize social media to connect and build bonds with others, they come across:

  • Cyberbullying: This is a big risk of using social media, teen girls are in particular at risk, but teen boys also face bullying. Cyberbullying from social media is affiliated with depression, risk of suicidal thoughts, stress, and anxiety. 

  • Toxic Comparisons: Physical appearance, life circumstances, perceived successes from another person on social media can be a negative of having social media as a teenager. 

  • Likes: Focusing on likes and the need to gain “likes” on social media can cause teenagers to make bad decisions, alter their experiences, engage in negative behaviours, and accept risky challenges. 

  • Depression: The more amount of time spent online, can associate strongly with increased depression. 

  • Sleep deprivation: This has been shown as a result of a study from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine that determined that the more extended time young adults spent on social media, the more likely they were to have problems sleeping at night. 



Survey Statistics About Social Media’s Impact on Youth Mental Health 


In 2018, a survey from the Pew Research Centre of U.S. teens determined that one in six teenagers have encountered at least one of the six different forms of offensive behaviour online. The factors are as follows:

  • Name-calling (42%)

  • Spreading false rumours (32%)

  • Receiving unsolicited explicit images (25%)

  • Having their activities and whereabouts tracked by someone other than a parent (21%)

  • Someone making physical threats (16%)

  • Having explicit images of them shared without their consent (7%)


This same study discovered that 90% of teenagers believe that online harassment is a problem for people their same age and 63% of those same teenagers say that it is a “major problem”.  In the 2018 survey, the study revealed that only 24% of those set of teenagers consider that social media has a negative effect, while 31% of the teenagers say is positive, and 45% say it is neither positive nor negative. 


More Statistics...


A survey shows that 90% of teenagers today ages 13 to 17 have used social media. In this same examination, 75% of the teenagers have at least one active social media profile for themselves, 51% of the teenagers visit a social media page/site on a daily basis, and two-thirds of this survey group have their own mobile devices with internet capabilities.


These statistics show and prove that teenagers are extremely active on social media. One study shows that on average, teenagers use the internet for nine hours every day, excluding the time for homework and studying. 



Protecting Teenagers Using Social Media 

There are many crucial steps that parents and caregivers can take to encourage responsible use of social media, as well as limiting some of the negativity of social media. The tips and steps of protecting teenagers using social media include the following:

  • Ensure that the privacy settings are turned on to limit access to personal information.

  • Set reasonable limits by talking to the teenager about how they can avoid letting social media interfere with sleep, meals or homework.

  • Have someone older monitor your account.

  • Explain to teenagers what is bad (gossiping, spreading lies, bullying).

  • Teach teenagers what is safe to share on social media and who to trust on social media.

  • "No screen" times should be set in place which includes "no screens at the dinner table" or "no social media use until homework is done".



Sources: 

1. “How social media affects the mental health of teenagers” (https://www.insider.com/how-does-social-media-affect-teenagers) 

2. Image from “5 Ways Social Media Affects Teen Mental Health” (https://www.verywellfamily.com/ways-social-media-affects-teen-mental-health-4144769) 

3. “Social Media and Teens: How Does Social Media Affect Teenagers’ Mental Health” (https://www.psycom.net/social-media-teen-mental-health)

4. Image from “The Teenage Social-Media Trap” (https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-teenage-social-media-trap-1525444767) 

5. “Impact of Social Media on Youth Mental Health: Statistics, Tips & Resources” (https://onlinedegrees.unr.edu/online-master-of-public-health/impact-of-social-media-on-youth-mental-health/) 

6. “Teens and social media use: What's the impact?” (https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/tween-and-teen-health/in-depth/teens-and-social-media-use/art-20474437) 

7. Image from “Getting fewer ‘likes’ on social media can make teens anxious and depressed” (https://www.rochester.edu/newscenter/getting-fewer-likes-on-social-media-can-make-teens-anxious-and-depressed-453482/) 

8. “How Using Social Media Affects Teenagers” (https://childmind.org/article/how-using-social-media-affects-teenagers/) 

9. Image from “High social media use may be indicative of poor mental health in teens” (https://specialty.mims.com/topic/high-social-media-use-may-be-indicative-of-poor-mental-health-in-teens) 



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