Youth’s pressure of networking on social media

During the last decade, one of the most revolutionary advancements is the emergence of social media. The hype centering the use of various social media is strongly mentionable. People at large have started to live their daily life, encompassing social media very intently. Daily activities are being posted, to where one is going, with whom they are going, what they are having for meals, and so much more - all is on the internet via social media.
Now, it cannot be denied that social media has made communication faster than ever before. It is not only used personally, but also for professional reasons. In today's fast pacing world, when the whole world is called a "global village", social media plays a mighty role. E-commerce businesses, job hunting, digital marketing - all have gotten a head-start with the development of social media.
Nonetheless, like every other aspect, with the pros come some cons. And unfortunately, the adverse effects of social media fall predominantly on the teenagers and young adults considering the vulnerability of their state of mind. Networking through the social media has become like an everyday thing, or maybe to be more precise, an every hour thing. With the aid of smartphones people are constantly active on social media, most of the time doing nothing. It has become a habit for people to check their phones for notifications and latest posts by others, regardless the fact that is it barely of any use to keep oneself updated with these posts.
The young generation today feels that they are not smart and "cool" enough if they are not actively using social media. Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube, Twitter and few more are the most used social media platforms. Teenage is the time when people are most enthusiastic and keen to exploration. Hence, when they see their friends posting regularly on Facebook and Instagram (much often both), they feel a compulsion to do so too. When they see their friends hanging out, eating out, showing their personal life activities, they feel paranoid and questions themselves whether they are living their life properly or not, or are they being outcast, will their friends tag along with them in the future, and so on. This affects the psychology of the youths horrifically.
As stated in many studies conducted during recent times, it is seen that seeing posts, photos, and statuses of friends being engaged in improper activities involving alcohol, public display of affection, even the abuse of narcotics, wrongly encourages the teens to do the same. A recent study conducted in the United States of America shows that 75% of the kids have confessed the fact that after openly seeing the posts of their friends drinking alcohol and taking drugs, they felt compelled to reciprocate the actions. When teens and young adults go through the timeline ofFacebook or the Instagram profile or everyday posts on Snapchats of their friends and contemporaries going to late night parties, fancy dining places, getting into inappropriate relationships considering their age, etc. they start to have a sensation that everyone except them is enjoying life, and if they are to live a "good" life they have to gel in with them. This is extreme pressure on young minds which blocks their ability to think constructively and do things that are more innovative and value adding. Kids these days are exposed to internet and social media at a very young age. Thus, the amount of time they spend on smartphones and tablets is very long. There have been cases where children or teenagers have been cyber-bullied through the social media. The children formed groups against one or more kids and instigated their fellows to join in to harass them. Wrongful videos have been made viral through Facebook and Youtube. The impact of such circumstances on young minds is beyond imaginable. It is not abnormal to fall into a psychiatric condition under such strong negative peer pressure. Therefore, the number of young population falling into depression, loss of appetite, social withdrawal, rude behavior, and in extreme scenarios, taking drugs, is increasing rapidly.
In order to combat this contagious state of being of the youth, the first and foremost action must start from home. Parents should not only keep a close eye on what their children is doing on the internet or what are they watching, but also involve themselves in activities with their children so that their mind is well occupied. It is the responsibility of the parents to explain to their children from a very young age that one must not always follow and get carried away by others' actions. Children should be taught how to differentiate between good and bad. They should be allowed to play with their friends at home and outside if there is suitable arrangement. Unfortunately, in Dhaka city it is hard to find open places for playing nowadays. Even so, instead of allowing them to play games and use phones and tablets all the time, they should be reinvigorated to do mental tasks like solving puzzles, doing creative writings, drawing and sketching, and many more activities that will keep them away from the social media. They can also engage their children in physical activities like yoga, zumba, dance and music lessons, so that they get out of the sluggish and lethargic life that most teenagers live these days. The use of social media once in a while is well acceptable for kids. As for teenagers, parental control may be difficult all the time since they are exposed to innumerableexternal factors via school and social circles. Therefore, under such circumstances the teens should be made aware of the good sides and positive aspects of social media such as the different social and community building activities going on around them, the motivational videos available on the social media, etc. and discourage them to focus on the lives of others. They must learn that what they do in life will matter; what others do does not matter. 30 years from now it will not matter what shoes their friends wore, where they went to eat, how their hair looked, who they dated, or what statuses they had put up. What will matter is what they themselves have learned and how they have used it.
I, being a 90s kid, grew up through reading Disney's classics and watching animated films, watching cartoon network, playing outside, and solving jigsaw puzzles. These are almost pre-historic to kids today. I am not saying that everything on the social media is bad and harmful. But, when it becomes an obligation on one to communicate and network through social media just to stay in the loop, it is indescribably damaging. And, sooner we resolve and counter it.
The writer is a young aspiring writer