Psychological Study Highlights Negative Impact of Facebook on Teenagers

With social networking becoming more popular with every passing day, psychological research is also focusing on this area to study the affects of social media. According to a study conducted by Larry Rosen, a professor of psychology at California State University, “While nobody can deny that Facebook has altered the landscape of social interaction, particularly among young people, we are just now starting to see solid psychological research demonstrating both the positives and the negatives,”

In his plenary talk entitled, “Poke Me: How Social Networks Can Both Help and Harm Our Kids,” Rosen cited the following potential adverse effects:

• Teenage frequent users of Facebook can develop narcissistic tendencies
• Anxiety, depression, and other psychological disorders can easily affect children and teens with heavy usage of Facebook
• More interaction with Facebook can also distract kids from their studies and thus result in lower grades

Dr. Rosen’s research was based on a number of computer-based surveys distributed to 1,000 urban adolescents and 15-minute observations of 300 teenage kids while studying.

For parents concerned about their kids’ activities, Dr. Rosen advised to review their activities on social networks and remove inappropriate contents. He further recommended that parents may keep an eye on the latest technologies and websites kids are using.

However, the research not only underlines the negative affects of social media, it also brings to light the positive influences like development of virtual empathy among young adults as well as serving as a socializing tool for introvert adults.

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The above story is reprinted (with editorial adaptations by ScienceDaily staff) from materials provided by American Psychological Association, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

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