Social media is a big part of today’s society. Adults, teens, and even young children use it.

Yet, psychologists are comparing differences between students who have social media and students who do not.

During an all-school assembly, Dr. Jonathan Dalton spoke to students about how social media may affect their stress level. He said, “A study showed, the more Facebook followers you have, the more stress you have.” He explained that increased social media use is shown to increase anxiety in teenage students as they focus on their “paper lives.”

Sophomore Noelia Villafane, who uses social media, stated, “With social media, I can show others who I am and what I like to do.” Social media can be a new way of showing people talents and interests to others.

Sophomore Rosemary Sui, who also uses social media, admitted, “I get to meet new people through social media, but I feel like I am on my phone more often than I should be.” Although, social media may be used to meet new people through other friends, most of the time people feel the need to have to be constantly checking their phone because of likes, comments, and new posts on their social media. It is this constant need to be updated that can lead to stress.

Dalton recommended students be mindful of their anxiety level and offered coping suggestions that included, “tolerating uncertainty, self-coaching, cognitive reframing, and behavior change.”

A sophomore source, who does not have social media, remarked, “I think it is nice not to have to be constantly checking my phone.”

Sophomore Ciara Switzer who does not use social media commented, “Sometimes I feel like I miss out on things, but it’s usually not a big deal.” Switzer finds that even without social media, there are ways to get information about events around her.

Social media does affect teens in both positive and negative ways. Students need to be aware of their usage levels and how they use it. Using social media to spread happiness and support to others may be just what the world needs today.