As a teenager growing up in the 2010s, our childhood and teenage years have revolved around social media. Social media has played a huge role in modern day life. From everyday communication  to an easy way to kill time, it allows people to communicate without ever actually having a real interaction with them. Social media in my opinion, is the reason why relationships do not work. 

When talking about making friends, an easy way to do this is just by a press of a button. You’re scrolling and you see someone that looks like they have similar interest to you so you send a follow request. Making friends is as easy as that.

With this being said, people’s social skills have dramatically decreased. Direct contact with peers has now been replaced with sending photos back and forth. This has not only caused a decrease in social skills, but has caused social anxiety to rise as well. 

“Social media and online communication has normalized ignoring people. It’s so easy to leave someone’s messages on delivered or on open. However, this doesn’t happen in real life,” senior Michaela Goldman says. 

Social media has also increased societal norms. When posting images online, people have the ability to change their appearance, creating unrealistic expectations of appearances. This leads to lower self esteem in both men and women. Consequently, societal norms have shifted, causing a rise in body concerns and dysmorphia. 

“Scrolling online and looking at all these individuals with obviously edited photos, increases body concerns and gives people unrealistic expectations especially for young individuals in high school,” senior Angelina Slomba says. 

Although online communication is quick and easy for long distance relationships and planning abilities, it has ruined in person communication skills and the natural flow of how people should meet each other. 

 Many people in our generation now use online dating apps such as Tinder or Bumble, and kids even younger meet on platforms such as social media. Getting to know someone can take place in a matter of minutes by just sending texts or scrolling through someone’s instagram..

People no longer get to know someone through in person contact, but rather through unnatural scrolling and words on a screen, which overall affects the naturally occuring path that a relationship must go through. 

Social media can cause conflicts in relationships breeding unstable relationships and distrust . Misinterpreting comments, overthinking likes a partner gives on a certain post, and going through friends on social media can all cause conflicts within the relationship. 

This would not be happening if social media was no longer a thing. The constant scrolling through someone’s Instagram followers and thinking ‘what can I do better would not even come to thought without the increase in social media presence. The only way distrust within relationships would be brought about is through naturally occurring observations not digital comments or followers. 

Now, all this social media damage is starting at a young age. Although legal requirements say that to use these social media apps one must be 13, studies show that nearly 40% of children ages 8-12 are already on social media platforms. 

The prime communication and relationship building skills are already being imposed upon before children have even graduated from elementary school.

Social media in my opinion is the cause of unnatural communication and a decrease in social skills. If individuals were forced to meet and get to know each other in real life, social anxiety would decrease and relationships amongst individuals would be much stronger.