Social media is making teenagers go crazy

By Carolina Pedrajas-Botella

It’s no secret that our world has changed since the birth of social media. These days, many people don’t take a picture to remember a time or a place. They take a picture to show the world how “perfect” their life is. 

This is causing many people, especially teenagers, to want to have the same “perfect” life that their favourite bloggers have. They now think that constantly going on holiday, having expensive branded items and regularly receiving presents from big brands is normal.

Many people, especially teens, should understand that 90% of the content shown on social media isn’t authentic.

“Some teens will do anything they can and disregard the people around them just to get a little bit of fame,” says Devon Moore-Watson, a 22-year-old workers at Buckden Day Nursery, a pre-school in Cambridgeshire.

This is the case of a recent Tik Tok, which went viral because a group of friends decided to push one of the girls into the road – at the same time that a car was passing. Unfortunately, it hit her.

Moore-Watson explained that some teens try very hard to be famous by going viral but “people who don’t try and end up viral often become more successful than the ones who will do anything” for fame. 

Aaron Burrows, a teacher at Prince William School in Oundle, Northamptonshire, thinks in a similar way to Moore-Watson. “Teenagers today are obsessed with ‘going viral’ and attracting a huge following online,” the 22-year-old said.

Behind the scenes

Many young people who want to become social media stars think it’s an easy job, but they don’t really know what goes behind every picture. 

In an interview for CBS News, society icon Kris Jenner said that her daughters do not sponsor a brand unless they get paid at least “six figures”. By saying this, she is normalizing that earning this amount of money thanks to social media is acceptable. 

We still don’t know what will happen in future to people who social media makes famous, as the job is a new one. Will they lose followers when they get older? Will they still have the same fame they do now? It’s no wonder that many social media stars have side hustles – and they know their followers will buy their products.

This is the case of Jessica Goicoechea on Instagram. When her followers asked her where her makeup and clothes came from, she decided to create her own makeup and clothing lines.

Some Instagram or Tik Tok stars become famous thanks to their businesses. Yris Palmer became famous on Instagram with one million followers thanks to her eyelash company, which caught the attention of Kylie Jenner.

Thanks to this, her lash company has expanded, and she now also has a kids’ clothing line, sells branded merch and has invested in a laser hair removal company. 

It is also trendy now to write a book about yourself so that your followers get to know you better and understand who you are. Spanish Tik Tok star Abril Cols has 3.3 million Tik TOk followers and 892,000 followers on Instagram. She has recently released a book where she talks about all the struggles she has had since becoming famous.

Restrictions for teens

Some people believe that teens are not able to handle social media, as they are unable to understand what’s real and what isn’t.

“I think some social media sites could be more strict on age limits. I feel you should have to prove your age before being accepted to join a social media site,” says Moore-Watson. Many sites just ask what a person’s age is, which makes it easy to not tell the truth.

“Social media should ask for parental permission and parental controls before letting them open an account,” adds Burrows.

Schools could also make it compulsory for teens to discuss the pros and cons of social media, and engage in active debates to help them become more aware of what is happening.

This cold be especially important as it can be difficult for parents to control their children’s access to apps, as some are secret and can hide within a phone.