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Yes, Social Media Really Is a Cause of the Epidemic of Teenage Mental Illness
(www.afterbabel.com)
No way!
I'm 29. I distinctly remember being told that I was creepy for not using social media, and that I couldn't be trusted. At 16.
I genuinely believe social media is the reason I grew up with a lot of hate inside me. Just genuine, burning hatred for people. I wasn't able to start doing something about it until I stopped going on Facebook and Reddit. Fortunately Lemmy isn't nearly as... content driven? Or rather, Lemmy doesn't seem to have the same communal need to create content from nothing.
Back to the point. No fucking shit social media is bad for teenagers. They can't talk to each other without risk of someone posting what they've said in private for everyone to see. Think of how hurtful kids can be, now you've given them the ability to communicate with anyone else at any point instantly?
We're supposed to be able to make mistakes. You're supposed to make mistakes, and you're supposed to be able to learn from them and grow. You're supposed to be able to move on. Social media ensures that nobody can ever move forward if they've interacted with it past a certain point and it is designed to all but guarantee you reach that point.