X, formerly known as Twitter, has become one of the most successful social media platforms for both interaction and popularity. In recent years teens have become more affected by X, especially when it comes to their emotional well-being.
According to Shepherds Hill Academy, “92% of teenagers go online every day.”
This can be a big deal, teens daily routines can be affected when doing on the internet every day. According to the Pew Research Center, “one in four (24%) online teens uses Twitter, up from 16% in 2011.”
The statistics are concerning how teens use X so frequently.
X is an app for teens to spend their time on their free schedule or for some to stay up late. Sophomore Isaiah Gonzalez uses X, but he makes sure to limit the time he spends on it.
“I feel as if on a daily basis it is too much,” said Gonzalez. “I check in a couple of days or every other day.”
X does have effects on teens when it comes to suicide. There is plenty of cyberbullying on the platform, and teens can be more vulnerable to harassment on X.
According to the National Library of Medicine, “a total of 1,659,274 tweets were analyzed over a three month period with 37,717 identified as at risk for suicide.”
X also has explicit content almost anywhere in the app. Explicit content on X includes protests, sexual content, and the usage of guns.
“I’ve seen explicit things on Twitter that aren’t safe for teens,” said senior Milo Mansberger.
X also publishes a plethora of fake news and misinformation that can misinform people. According to the Knight Foundation, “the study examined more than 10 million tweets from 700,000 X accounts that linked to more than 600 fake and conspiracy news sites.”
X has its positives and can also be a benefit for teens when it comes to making friends, it can be a good app to meet new people and find communities to join.
According to the Pew Research Center, “More than nine-to-ten teens (94%) say they spend more time with friends on social media.”
It is also easy and simple to find new friends on the platform.
“Teens using X is a good way to meet new friends and communities,” said Mansberger.
Teens using X and other social platforms have caused social change in society. Using Twitter to post content and interact with their friends. This creates a change in how teens talk to each other, causing them to talk with phrases that are currently trending. X can be a problem for teens when they use it a lot, and it can harm their well-being, but it can still be used at appropriate times and can benefit a teen’s life.
