Social media affects teens today, whether teenagers laugh and connect with friends, learn new things, meet new people, change their thoughts, spread misinformation, or learn inappropriate things.  

  There are various social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok, where you can share your life and connect with friends and family. Betsy Hernandez, a junior, said, “My favorite social media platform is TikTok because not only does it help me express myself through videos and show me different things, it’s also an app that’s always entertaining when you’re bored.” Sophomore Amon Funeus’s favorite platform is Instagram. He said, “While it’s an entertaining app and I can post my life, I can also text friends and share funny videos with them.”  

  A big part of social media is the friendships we create through them and maintain with relatable stories, posts, videos, etc. We meet many new people through social media; sometimes, it’s the only way we communicate with friends. Katherine Nelson, a freshman, said, “When I can’t see my friends in person because distance gets in the way, I use social media to communicate with them and grow those friendships.” Anlianys Montero, a 15-year-old from a school in California, added, “By sharing relatable content and laughing over it, I’ve grown closer to my friends and learned more about them.”  

  Roxana Santos, a freshman, said, “I can keep up with my family and friends when I don’t get to see them often or at all; it also informs me on many worldwide issues, and that’s how social media affects me.” 

  Some people use social media platforms to spread their voice about important issues such as immigration, bullying, racism, and reproductive rights because social media is open to everybody, and that’s one of the best ways to keep someone informed. Rosa Blandon, a 20-year-old, stated, “Social media has provided me a way to raise awareness on anything that hurts us as a society because it can get multiple people of different backgrounds aware of what’s going on.” 

  Some students have gotten so used to social media that they’ve lost real communication skills. An anonymous junior stated, “I feel as if I have gotten so used to catching up and speaking over social media that I lack good social skills.” Additionally, Brianna Oquendo, a 14-year-old, said, “Since I’m on social media a lot, seeing how people talk, it’s made my conversations less formal and with more lingo.”   

  On the other hand, Ariany Valdes, a freshman, said, “I’ve experienced better from social media because it has strengthened my communication skills and made me more social.” 

  Social media is also blamed for many bad things.  Kylen Buchanan, an 18-year-old who attends Palm Glades Academy in Homestead, added, “I’ve donated to many fundraisers, and sometimes the money doesn’t go to the cause I thought it was going to.” He also said, “It has affected my relationship with one of my family members because they were putting others down because of a difference in opinion.” 

  Maryledis Brizuela, a sophomore, said, “More harm comes from social media because a lot of bullying happens to others and especially to oneself.”  

  Paulina Arregia, a 16-year-old who attends MAST, said, “I think when people spread false information, it can influence opinions or decisions in a harmful way.” 

  Chelsea Argueta, a freshman, added, “When people overuse social media, it can lead them to compare themselves with others and make them insecure or depressed.” 

  There are many ways social media can evolve, like including AI, making more privacy settings, and making it a way where frauds can be pointed out immediately. Keren Ramirez, a freshman, stated, “In the next decade, I think everyone’s social media would be curated personally for them through the use of AI, and the government most likely will enforce more data protection laws.” Genesis Galan, a sophomore, said, “Hopefully it evolves in a way that social media prioritizes the user’s well-being and stops harassment on social media.”