I write to draw your attention on the topic “THE YOUTH AND THE SOCIAL MEDIA”. In this modern life, social media is one of the most website developing fast in the whole world. Social media is therefore very prominent especially among the youth and it has brought a lots of merits in the world, but people who are found addicted most specifically the youth faces lots of dissatisfactions with life and also increases the risk of developing mental health issues such as anxiety, depression etc. Youth is the period between childhood and adult age and during this time the youth are very curious about everything they will hear or see.
Youth of these days uses the social media for some reasons that, they are not meant for and has raised a lot of doubt and skepticism about it relevance in modern life. Social media has brought a lot of benefits in the world most specially the youth. The youth benefit from social media by being socially connected which is very important for the psychological development of the youth these days. And also through social media your child could develop better social skills such as effective communication, conflict resolution, respect for others etc. Some of the benefits of the social media among the youth are under listed below.
To commence with, social media has helped youth of these days to abstain themselves from premarital sex. The social media has given a proper prior notice to the youth to abstain themselves from premarital sex because when the youth involved themselves in sex before marriage it can lead them to teenage pregnancy which will bring enormous shame and disrespect among them, their parents and to the community at large, and also social media has made known to the youth that when they engage in premarital sex it can endanger their lives leading to early death and which I know youth do not want to die early but to enjoy life and so they try to abstain themselves from premarital sex.
Again social media has helped the youth to know all the recent facts happening around globe and has also enabled them network and stay connected with their fellow youths and friends without physical meeting. Social media has enable the youth to communicate and get access into the internet to learn more about what has been happening around the world and also has helped them in maintaining relationships, being creative etc. the youth find this as a great benefits social media has brought them. Social media has helped many people especially teachers and students to collaborate and learn online and this has brought improvement in the whole wide world.
Moreover, social media has helped reduce and eradicate false rumors and unreliable information circulating round the world. Social media has helped the world to differentiate between a rumor or misinformation and reliable information. Social media has made it known to the youth how rumors circulate quickly on social media and how relevant information trend on social media. Because social media is a computer based
technology that facilitates the sharing of ideas, thoughts etc. the youth has found the benefits social media has impacted on their lives.
Paradoxically, social media sites make us not only more capable but also more inept on how to use the internet effectively and efficiently.
Despite, the above stated about the benefits of social media, social media has enormous disadvantages among people especially to those who are found addicted most specifically the youth, which brings a lot of bane unto the youth who are found addicted to social media because there is an adage that says “too much of everything is bad”. Disadvantages social media have impacted on the youth are under mentioned below;
Social media have given people access especially the youth, who tend to have Smartphone as a medium where these youth used it to watch sexually explicit videos, nude picture such as pornography, cum shots videos and pictures. Through social media people can download the videos and pictures and watch at their own convenience with the aim of satisfying their sexual desires. Some go to the extreme level of participating in these acts of pornography to gain popularity in the society or the country and this hampers the progress of the youth and this results them to be mentally disable and they gets the interest of sexual gratification which brings lots of harms on youth.
Furthermore social media has resulted in scamming and has brought lots of fraudulent acts among youth and have resorted to the internet by the help of social media such as twitter, Instagram, snap chat, and more particularly what fraudster normally uses is facebook and hangouts often, and the youth uses this to extort monies from innocent people. They sometimes issue threats messages to put fear into their victims. Miscreants use the social media to commit crimes by misleading people to wrong locations and taking advantages of that. Due to the above mention social media has brought lots of harm on youth in the world.
Moreover, frequent social media users have poor performance in terms of academics and certain activities involving education. Many social media handlers who are found addicted and do not perform well academically and uses this media sites to bully innocent souls. Because they are found addicted to the social media, they find no time left to study their books and have the impression of getting money quickly whether legal or illegal and this has become a norm in the society, country and even the world as a whole.
Last but not the least; frequent use of social media which is normally found by the youth brings about separation between God and mankind. Media has raised lots agitation relating to God and mankind. The media has been protesting whether God exist or not but since no one has see God before the media believe that there’s no God and so they worship no one, this has made the youth who are found addicted to media also believe that there’s no God existing in this world and they can do anything they pleases.
Concluding, social media has lots of advantages and well as disadvantages, and so I will urge the youth to use the social media wisely and it will benefits them but when they are found addicted its brings immense demerits unto the youth, the country and to the world as a whole.
The youth must therefore desist from frequent use of social media and must use these media wisely so it can have good impact on them.
Thank you.
ASA – OFORI GEORGE

AKROPONG – AKUAPEM

GRACE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH