Social media is evil. This might sound like an outrageous accusation, especially from someone who’s an avid social media user herself, but it is simply the truth. 

There have been far too many suicides caused by social media, and they’re not due to cyberbullying, which may seem like the most obvious reason. According to an article in Time Magazine, “Among young people, rates of suicidal thoughts, plans and attempts all increased significantly, and in some cases more than doubled, between 2008 and 2017.” 

So many of the suicides caused by social media have been due to low self-confidence and self-esteem. In addition, psychiatrist Joe Gramigna said, “Rising suicide rates… have coincided with rising rates of social media use.” 

Everywhere you look, whether it be on Instagram, Snapchat or TikTok, there are influencers that seem perfect in every picture or video that they post. It’s completely unrealistic, yet we all choose to look past this blatant fact.

Teenagers look intrinsically and begin to despise themselves for not looking the way that these models and influencers do. Many teenagers suffer from body dysmorphic disorder, which is “a mental illness involving obsessive focus on a perceived flaw in appearance.” 

According to an article on the Rush University Medical Center website, social media can worsen the disorder among teenagers. Author Judy Germany said, “While social media doesn’t cause BDD, it can amplify the condition. You might constantly take and post selfies, then constantly scrutinize and criticize them.”

Although there have been movements focused on body positivity across multiple social media platforms, there’s still tons of negativity in the comment sections of some users’ posts. This results in users constantly feeling down about how they look because of anonymous internet trolls. 

Millie Bower, a writer for Twentysomething News believes that teenagers are facing a multitude of problems because of social media. “If it wasn’t Instagram or YouTube, it would be another platform in some form, society has evolved in a way where it is normal to look on your phone and instantly feel low self-esteem or low self-worth because you happen to be looking at a picture of someone you follow with the ‘perfect’ body and ‘flawless’ skin,” Bower said. 

It’s up to us as teenagers to learn to be happy with ourselves, but even that in itself is difficult, especially in today’s society. Our generation is faced with many challenges, the negativity of social media being a major one. 

I recommend taking a break from social media— even if it’s a small one. Enjoy time with family and friends (safely) and take time for yourself as well. Focus on your own life instead of watching others through a screen.