Snapchat came out in July 2011, being used by 397 million people a day. Age 13 or older, people use Snap to send photos, text, and post stories. Stories are something where you can share a video or a thing that is going on in your life. Snapchat has many pros and cons but the real question is, how badly can Snapchat affect someone’s mental health?
Snapchat is widely known throughout many countries, mainly among teenagers. The app is most commonly used by teens and young adults but with the use comes major problems. The main effect of their mental health is through bullying or simple things like that. I researched for articles on the web that could answer just how much snapchat affects teens mental health.
One article that really stood out to me was Smartsocial, it was based on the negative effects of Snapchat on teens. It gave a point on how Snapchat has many predators on the app and many kids haven’t been educated on internet safety. Internet safety is a key thing when it comes to any social media app, especially ones that people can friend you and chat with them. Kids can fall for predators’ tricks and end up giving very private information. Another thing that it does is Snapchat may create a Social Media Addiction about you needing to send photos constantly so you can maintain a snapstreak. For those who don’t know what a snapstreak is, it’s when you send at least one photo every day to build a streak on Snapchat.
I interviewed a student here at AHS, they wanted to stay anonymous in this article. My first question was if Snapchat has ever affected their mental health and if so, how? They answered with, “Yes, it has affected me a lot. The fact a lot of people have added me and then said hurtful things has affected me a lot. And when I would take a screenshot,I was a snitch and needed to grow up.” Another question was why didn’t you report and block them, “It’s not as simple as it seems, I feel like I should stay friends with them because what if they change? I also have a constant feeling of remorse towards them if I did.” The student replied with this, stating it with much passion. My last question was do you think there is any way Snapchat could be changed, they smartly responded with, “Yes, I do think it could be changed, mainly the fact that they don’t do anything to prevent pedos, online bullying, or that stuff from happening.”
Cynthia Wing is the other student I interviewed, I asked if snapchat has ever affected her mental health and if so, why. She responded, “I do not think it has affected my mental health; however, I do know the filters that are supposed to make you look more attractive have affected the way people see themselves. I would say that it lowers people’s self-esteem, altering the perspective on how people are supposed to look compared to how they actually look.” Next question was if snapchat could be changed, Cynthia said, “I would definitely like to see more privacy and restrictions on Snapchat. I have seen that it is very easy for older men to find younger people’s Snapchats and contact them. This happens to so many teens who do not know how to go about the situation. I just think there needs to be more protection against younger people using any social media.” Last, I asked her if she has ever experienced cyberbullying on the app, she answered, “I personally have not dealt with any cyberbullying on Snap, but I’m definitely the type to just block anyone if they tried to cyberbully me. I’m not one to deal with anyone trying to put me down in any way. But I do know cyberbullying does happen to a lot of people”
As Snapchat grows users everyday, its rates of online bullying and such grows. Many opinions are out in the world about the use of this social media and how it can affect people’s mental health.
