“the impact of social media on teens”

Assalamu Alaikum Wr.Wb. The honorable to judges The honorable to all teachers The honorable to all my beloved friends Thank you very much for the chance given to me Praise be to ALLAH SWT – the only one substance that must be worshipped and obeyed in this world and in the here after and may peace and blessing be on his most beloved messenger MOHAMMAD SAW Ladies and Gentlemen Brothers and Sisters Here, I would like to present my speech with title “the impact of social media on teens” The first we have to know is the meaning of social media and the teenagers. The best way to define social media is to break it down. Media is an instrument on communication, like a newspaper or a radio, hand phone, so social media would be a social instrument of communication. While teenager means a young person whose age falls within the range from thirteen through nineteen (13–19). They are called teenagers because their age number ends in "teen". Ladies and Gentlemen, Social media is becoming more than just a part of their world, it’s becoming their world. Teens are spending more and more time online, usually on a social media platform like Facebook or Twitter, BBM and their online life is not just staying on their computer at home. Most teens now have smart phones where they are on social media networks all throughout the day. They are constantly texting, tweeting, and posting pictures via Snapchat and Instagram. What impact does this hyper-connected social media life have on teenagers? The impact is both negative and positive. There are some good things that come out of social media for our teens, but for now, I want to focus more on the negative effects of social media on teens. Ladies and Gentlemen, Today teens don’t know how to disconnect. Social media has allowed them to take their life online and instead of saying goodbye to friends at school and waiting to see them the next day, they just go home and jump on their favorite social media network and interact with them for the rest of the day. With the rise of smart phones, such as the popular iPhone or Blackberry, teens don’t even have to wait to get home. They can now interact through social media on their way home with the help of their smart phone. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, and all the other popular social media platforms are right there on their phones. One reason this “always connected” activity is harmful is because of the alarming trend of cyberbullying. Parents remember when bullying only happened at school or on the bus. Once you got home with your family you were safe. However, bullying has now moved from not only being in the school and on the bus, but online. What does this mean? If a teen is getting bullied, they cannot get away from it! The people bullying them simply continue their bullying via social media. Let’s have an example to a student in Jakarta. She got a new friend in Facebook and after some months being a friend, they then became more than friend, in this case they went steady. In their Facebook they wanted to meet each other somewhere, indeed the man just wanted to cheat the girl by putting another picture on his Facebook, and till now the girl is still searched by her family. Ladies and Gentlemen, The next negative impact from the social media is Identity crisis. The section above makes it extremely clear that teens today who are highly engaged in social media are having an identity crisis. Social media has made it easy for teens to not be consist and have a “double life.” Everyday I see students who tweet and post things on Facebook that totally contradict what their parents, or others that know them personally, think of them. Has social media ruined teenagers? I don’t think so. However, there has been some negative effects on teens because of social media. It’s important to remember these things when raising or ministering to a teenager. Social media has and is changing the way they life. It is effecting who they are, what they do, and how interact. The things above are just a few of the negative effects I see social media having on teens. Ladies and Gentlemen, From my speech today, I want to invite to all beloved friends to keep our selves from everything that can harm to our mentality. Social media as I said just now not only become a way to get information but also a way to break us. So from now, let’s become a wise user of technology especially in using Social media. Remember, I don’t forbid you not to use your Hand phone for Facebook, Twitter, or BBM, but I just want you to be wise. That’s all my speech. Hopefully, it will be useful for all of us. Thank you very much for your attention. Wassalamu’alaikum Wr. Wb.