Social Media Usage And Its Effects On Nigerian Youths

It is worthy to note that social media has come to stay with us as a people and there is nothing that can be done to change it.

Social media can be defined as the tools that reduce the world to a global village. It is also a type of application that enable users to create, share content and participate in social networking.

Social media platforms provide opportunities for users to create online communities to share ideas, information, personal messages, etc. Some of the social media applications include WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, Skype, Telegram, LinkedIn, etc.

Youths are predominantly users of the Internet and social media for social interaction. They cannot imagine life without the Internet and seek ways to connect virtually to everyone.

Naija News understands that over half of the Nigerian population is under 30 years of age, and they are the ones most frequenting the Internet. We must harness the creativeness of the youth for the economic growth of Nigeria.

Bearing in mind that the Internet opens up a world of possibilities and opportunities to the youth, the consequences of ignorantly using social media by the youth should not be overlooked.

Social media provides a sense of community, where people share beliefs, ideas, and knowledge. Since its invention, it has become increasingly popular in different countries across the globe because it facilitates the passage of critical and vital information, especially during emergencies. However, the disadvantages almost outweigh the benefits.

Immorality is a serious anti-social behaviour posing a threat to the education, life and well-being of Nigerian youths. Cyberbullying, lesbianism, homosexualism, pornography, and derogatory and disparaging remarks usually leading to violent acts have been traced to improper use of social media.

A morally decadent society is on its way to ruin, as social media has undoubtedly promoted vices and led to moral decadence. However, shared content must also be kept positive.

While we are aware that social media can have positive effects on youths, we cannot discount its negative effects.

Though social media technologies and digital channels facilitate the creation and sharing of information, ideas, interests, and other forms of expression through virtual communities and networks, stakeholders are worried about their excessive use, especially by youths.

They noted that the extreme use of social media by the youths could be disruptive, and stressed the need for urgent measures to be put in place to mitigate the effects of social media.

Some of the other known adverse effects of social media are rumour spreading, exposing youths to bullying, unrealistic views of other people’s lives and peer pressure.

Speaking with Naija News, a Neuropsychiatrist at a Lagos hospital, Dr Adeniran Onifade, said excessive use of social media and the internet might be injurious to mental health.

Agboola noted that depression cannot be solved by surfing the internet, as a lot of people resort to social media and the internet whenever they are depressed.

He stated that excessive exposure to social media could affect an individual psychologically and could even result in depression and emotional trauma.

He said: “The rate of suicide in Nigeria has been high due to social media abuse, many of the things they are watching on their mobile phones are not helpful to them.

“A lot of people resort to the internet whenever they are depressed; this is not the solution; people should rather seek physical help by consulting a counsellor.

“People seeking help online cannot get it; instead, what they get are the negative things that have led many to suicide.”

Onifade said the various social platforms provide the youths with great communication tools to connect with loved ones and old friends irrespective of location, access to positive and free information being shared on social media, opportunities to promote their businesses to a larger and wider audience and social capital.

He added that social media provides an avenue to contribute to the emotional well-being of others by offering positive advice, opportunities to launch businesses online, opportunities to market businesses online at little or no cost and real-time sharing of information for businesses through paid and unpaid advertising.

Speaking further, Onifade stated that the negative effects of social media on youths cannot be overlooked and can be overwhelming.

He added that the effects can have harmful effects on the youth if not controlled.

The neuropsychiatrist listed some of these effects to include lack of control of and over personal information, youths post private information online without realising the associated risks, cyberbullying, mental health issues, and lack of morals.

Other effects listed by Onifade include the spread and ability to amplify fake news, exposure to adult information, indirect encouragement of high rate of scams on social media, poor grades from academic pursuits, long hours on social media platforms, peer pressure and addiction to social media.

In his recommendations, Onifade strongly advised youths to channel their activities on social media to yield positive results.

He added that parents should monitor their wards’ social media activities as a matter of urgency and the government should empower the youths so as to engage them in more meaningful and constructive activities.

The mental health expert stated that schools should set up a cyber monitoring team to check the effects of illegal activities on social media and youths should be educated on the proper use of the internet and social media.

Onifade also called on the government to put in place appropriate laws to protect youths against social media exposure.