The increase in usage of social media has caused a great impact on younger generations. The most popular social media platforms include Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest and many more. It is very rare to meet someone from the younger generation who does not have an account on a social media platform. It is something that people use for many reasons, such as keeping in touch with what their friends and relatives are doing, staying updated with the latest news and current events, to kill time, to search for fun and hilarious content, to network in general with other people, many people they know, use it to post photos or videos with other users, to share their opinions, shop online and meet new people. In this generation where technology is much more developed and innovative than in the past, access to the Internet is easier and therefore social media has become more accessible to everyone. There are many pros and cons when it comes to using social media and these pros and cons come in many forms. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay First, I'll talk about the pros. The good thing about how social media can affect a teen's brain and their overall mental health and development is that the anonymous aspect of the online experience doesn't just have a negative impact but a positive one as well. Being unknown makes things simple when seeking assistance for social problems online where there is no stigma attached and everyone can be themselves. Another positive point would be that teenagers are easily influenced by the Internet, influenced by good things, for example, leading a healthy lifestyle or achieving academic success. Finally, the Internet can provide a sense of relief and eliminate the sense of detachment for people suffering from mental illness as they tend to avoid real-life conversations with people. However, there are also disadvantages to using social media. First, creating posts and receiving positive feedback from others could become an addiction, driving many children to spend more and more time on the Internet when they could be outside playing with their friends in real life. This leads to sleep deprivation and could lead to further mental problems such as anxiety and increased irritability. Technically everyone needs to get enough sleep to gain energy for the next day, and this habit should start from a young age. Subsequently, research found that social media disconnections could lead users to exhibit a symptom similar to drug withdrawal. This means that in a way social media is already a drug for them. Additionally, posting and recording has become a sense of relaxation when people start doing something and when that is taken away from them, the flow is interrupted and they may be cut off from the experience of enjoying their moments while sharing them. Finally, social media can have a negative impact on young people's perception of a positive body image, as well as affect their self-esteem. With the presence of more and more beauty influencers, young people are exposed to unrealistic beauty standards. They feel they have to look a certain way to conform to society's standards and fit in. This could also affect the physical and mental health of these young people. What causes social media addiction? Research was conducted and the results were that the use of social media can cause huge differences to the human brain in ways identical to howdrug addiction can do it. A group of psychologists have discovered that receiving "Likes" on a post releases dopamine in the brain. It creates a feeling of pleasure, similar to when people enjoy their favorite desserts. When they start using social media at a young age, it will become an unhealthy habit and it will be difficult for them to stay away from it. There are advantages and disadvantages to using the Internet. Let's talk about the benefits first. There are many advantages to using the Internet. First, people can easily gain more knowledge using the Internet. They can access the answers to everything in a flash thanks to the vast amount of information made easily available on the Internet. The Internet is where people share their knowledge and skills with each other. Subsequently, communication facilitates and gives access to understanding real life and this helps those battling depression and other mental problems. Another benefit is that physical and other barriers collapse as a person does not need to be physically present to befriend another person on the other side of the world. Subsequently, relationships are strengthened. People can easily communicate and stay in touch with their families and closest friends, no matter how far they are from each other. Another benefit will be that anyone's self-esteem can be easily increased. Getting likes and positive feedback definitely boosts someone's morale. Subsequently, it can be a tool for benchmarking. Finally, it can fight depression. Teenagers who are suicidal could blog and this can calm them down and they will no longer have those thoughts. The disadvantages of using the Internet could be as many as the advantages, sometimes even more. First, people miss out on real-life interaction. Many people are more used to communicating virtually and when it comes to speaking in real life they don't have the skills to hold a proper conversation. Teenagers find it easier to communicate on social media platforms because they lack communication skills. Subsequently, adolescents lose the opportunity to develop their social skills. While they are busy spending time on social media, they could have gone out to meet new people and improve their communication skills. Another disadvantage will be that the feeling of intimidation during communication will no longer be present. Whenever people use social media to communicate, they don't feel what they feel in real life. They can prepare what to say so as not to hurt the other person's feelings. Another concern may be the issue of cyberbullying. The internet allows people to post hurtful and mean comments towards another while remaining anonymous. While there are many ways to use the Internet in a positive way, this would be an example of how people can sometimes abuse the anonymity and freedom of speech that the Internet has given them. This will lead to victims of cyberbullying having mental health problems and other problems. Finally, parents have no idea what their children are looking for on the Internet. They easily give them access to the Internet without supervision, and children may end up exploring the adult world too deeply and learning unpleasant things. Recently, my group and I conducted a focus group with a group of people to get more information for our research. Participants were asked questions related to this topic. To summarize the above, most of the participants had access to the Internet at a young age, which led them to discover social media platforms. Many of themthey started with Friendster, and once that era was over, they moved to Facebook and Twitter. They were asked their opinion on access to the Internet by the younger generation and whether it is a positive or negative thing. Most of them responded that times are changing and that there are definitely positives and negatives to millenials gaining visibility on the Internet and social media. Many of them are fascinated by the features of social media and this attracts much of their attention. Additionally, when using social media, they seek a sense of escape from their stressful lives and look for funny videos to keep themselves occupied. They not only use the Internet on their laptops and phones, but also do their work and edit on them. They believe that the lack of security and restrictions on some sites are exposing too much adult content to younger viewers and believe that this could cause children to engage in some undesirable habits. Most of them are not very comfortable sharing their personal information online. In some cases, depression can be triggered when a person uses social media. There are cases where a user suffers from depression after receiving hateful comments from anonymous people on their account or posts. A recent study demonstrated a connection between screen-mediated communication and depression. One of the strongest theories is that people often compare themselves to others they see on social media. Many people do not see the challenges faced by a person as they always present themselves forcefully, this will eventually make others see them as an excellent person with no flaws. This may cause other people to feel incompetent about their lives or self-worth. Even someone who has a similar lifestyle to yours would feel discouraged because they might not be at the same level as another person. This would cause these people to never feel satisfied with their lives and always want more to achieve the lifestyle considered perfect. Another advantage and disadvantage of this issue is the effects on Internet education. The first benefit will be that those who do not have access to libraries or professionals will be as informed as those who have access to any educational resource. Students can access articles and journals from their school's electronic databases from the comfort of their home and without having to travel to the library or school. The next benefit is that students who were unable to get to classes could find many other study alternatives with lower costs. The Internet not only provides students with most of the knowledge they need, but can also serve as a platform where they can communicate with their teachers or professors without being physically present. Finally, teachers can upload lesson notes for students to recap and reference if they need to. In a way, by uploading all study materials online, it not only provides easier access to students but also helps save the environment by reducing the need for printed materials. The first disadvantage of Internet education is that many students are sleep deprived. thanks to social media. With more focus on social media usage, they would prioritize them more than studies and fail to manage their time wisely. They would stay up all night without their parents noticing. Sleep deprivation can cause them to perform poorly in class and on grades. The next disadvantage is that not all Internet sources are credible. The Internet has access to many things, which also means that they can.