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J . I ndian Assoc. Child Adolesc. Ment. Health 2014; 10(2):80-92

Guest Editorial

Adverse Effects of Online Social Networking on Children and Adolescents
Dr. Chhitij Srivastava, Dr Anupam Bhardwaj

Address for correspondence: Dr Chhitij Srivastava, Lecturer Psychiatry, Psychiatry
Unit, Department of Medicine, MLN Medical College, Allahabad.
email: [email protected]

Technological advances over the last few decades have probably had a much bigger
impact on our lives than we had imagined or were indeed prepared for. Social
Networking Sites (SNSs) have become an intricate part of modern life. They are the
perfect examples of technological and social platforms converging to provide a new
communication medium. There are a number of SNSs where individuals set up their
online profiles to establish and maintain social contact with others. Children and
adolescents have taken to these SNSs quite effortlessly. These SNSs provide them with a
lot of novel and innovative opportunities but at the same time also give rise to additional
risks such as potential abuse, exposure to inappropriate content, online bullying all
potentially having psychological implications. Some of the risks are a continuation of
those experienced by children and young people offline but many are new and not
anticipated. While these SNSs have brought a lot of positives generally, there is no
denying the fact that we have been found ill prepared to deal with some of the risks that
they pose.
Growth of Social Networking and its impact
Facebook is clearly the most widely used SNS, and we would mainly be referring to it
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when talking about the SNSs. It has grown by immense proportions since its inception in
2004 when it had 1 million users. According to Facebooks December 2013 statistics,
1.23 billion users are using it worldwide while 757 million users log on to it daily. In
India, Facebook has more than 93 million users who access it at least once a month and
31 million mobile users who visit the site daily. The reason for such phenomenal growth
is embedded in its very nature, which is to provide an excellent medium to communicate
and socialize. We, humans, naturally like to socialize and build on our social resources.
Coleman [1] refers to this as social capital. The concept of social capital describes the
benefits that individuals derive from their social relationships and interactions such as
emotional support, exposure to diverse ideas, and access to non-redundant information.
Facebook and other SNSs are perhaps the quickest way to enhance ones social capital.
They facilitate both initiation of new relationships and maintenance of old ones [2].
Online social networking clearly has a lot of inherent advantages. It helps us transcend
geographical boundaries. It makes our social groups more heterogeneous as people from
diverse socio-economic, cultural and religious backgrounds are more likely to interact on
social networking sites as compared to real life. People are also more likely to share
things with others that they wouldnt do in real life.
Psychological Implications
Its evident that social media is transforming the way young people socialize and though
it has its advantages there are many pitfalls. Adolescence is a stage when young people
are developing a sense of self and their own individual identity. This is shaped by
individual experiences, inter-personal interactions and the young persons ability to
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process and make sense of these interactions. Increasingly such interactions are
happening online. Young people have never been more exposed to the external world.
They may lack the maturity to decide what to put on such an exposed domain. They may
not be as astute about the privacy settings leading to a false sense of security that their
personal information is safe. They may be easily misled by potential friends whom they
may have never met offline thereby opening themselves to exploitation. In the absence of
usual checks and balances that happen during a normal face to face interactions (those
which we have developed over centuries through evolution), young people can be more
disinhibited in their expression on these SNSs. These subtle differences and changes in
the way we communicate can have huge implications in a developmental stage when
ones identity is taking shape.

Previously, experts were of the view that if people spend a lot of time online, it means
they are compromising on their real social life [3]. However, this is far from being so
simplistic and recent evidence shows that that the relationship between internet use and
sociability is not entirely negative [4]. Some studies have shown that SNS engagement
has a positive association with psychological wellbeing [2,5]. More recent studies,
though, are showing that certain patterns of SNS use may not be good for us. Chen et al
[6] in their study found that the relationship between Facebook interaction and
psychological wellbeing tends to be negative but that instead of a direct negative
relationship, the two are linked indirectly through communication overload.

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To understand the psychological implications of SNSs, one must realize that they cater to
the individual rather than to a community in an egocentric way. SNS users often share
things that show them in a positive light to the world. Studies show that while such self-
presentation may make them happy in the short term [5], it is not necessarily good for
their self-esteem in the long term. Studies have found that greater self-presentation and
self-promotion are positively correlated with low self-esteem and personality traits of
narcissism [7,8]. People with more narcissistic traits are likely to have more friends on
Facebook. This may mean that when users are interacting with others on Facebook as
compared to people in real life, they are more likely to come across people with
narcissistic traits who engage in greater self-presentation and self-promotion. Chen et al
[6] discussed that as more frequent Facebook users tend to have greater exposure to other
users positive self-presentation, they often feel that others have better lives than
themselves and that the feelings of relative deprivation can increase psychological
distress [9,10]. Young people who are not mature enough are more likely to experience
such feelings. Also, interactions with people with narcissistic traits increase the chances
of experiencing negative events on Facebook that can have negative effects on peoples
wellbeing. Rainie et al [11] in a nationally representative phone survey in America found
that while the overall social and emotional climate of SNSs is a very positive one,
significant proportions of SNS users do witness bad behavior from their experiences on
social media. Whats notable is that when adults witness mean or aggressive behavior on
SNSs, they are more likely than teenagers to ignore it. Cyber bullying is clearly becoming
a big problem and a recent survey [12] found that India is third on the list behind China
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and Singapore. Cyber bullying has been associated with some disastrous outcomes
including attempted and completed suicides [13] as the impact of cyber bullying is
probably more than face-to-face bullying given that a few posts on Facebook can let the
world know about your secrets! These issues further highlight the vulnerability of young
people and the impact that such media is having on their development and psychological
well-being.
Addiction potential
Facebook supports a wide spectrum of possible connections, including befriending
complete strangers, strengthening relationships with already close friends and social
information-seeking that describes a suite of behaviors that revolve around using the site
to discover more information about someone with whom the user shares some kind of
offline connection [14]. Our dopamine system is activated by finding something
unexpected or by the anticipation of something new. The good old behaviour theory
postulates that if the rewards come at unpredictable intervals (such as lottery, gambling
machines, emails, texts, Facebook updates) we are more likely to get addicted to them.
Kuss et al [15] have reviewed the addiction literature on Facebook and other similar
SNSs. The findings of their review indicate that SNSs are predominantly used for social
purposes, mostly related to the maintenance of established offline networks. Extraverts
appear to use social networking sites for social enhancement whereas introverts use it for
social compensation. Both the patterns of use are related to greater usage, as does low
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conscientiousness and high narcissism. Negative correlates of SNS usage include the
decrease in real life social community participation and academic achievement, as well as
relationship problems, each of which may be indicative of potential addiction. Fioravanti
et al [16] in a cross-sectional study with 257 adolescents found evidence among females
for the mediating role of preference for online social interaction in the relationship
between low self-esteem and internet addiction while no significant effects were found
for males.
Episodes of completed and attempted suicides by teenagers have been linked in the media
to being restricted from using social networking sites like Facebook [17]. Though we
need to develop better understanding of such incidents, they clearly highlight the risks
that may be associated due to the addictive potential of social media.
Sexual exploitation
To be eligible to sign up for Facebook, one must be at least 13 years old. This age limit
is itself debatable as a lot of 13 year olds are not mature enough to understand the risks of
online social networking. Moreover parents are often not well informed to guide their
children as they often have started to experiment with social media at the same time as
their children. Although Facebook prescribes a minimum age for its use, it is practically
impossible to implement it especially if parents dont feel able to guide and supervise
their childs use of social media. Sexual grooming of children over the Internet does
happen and is most prevalent amongst the 1317 age group, particularly the 1314 years
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old children. The majority of them are girls although boys are groomed as well. Children
and teenagers who befriend strangers and are high attention seekers have a much higher
risk than others. There have been numerous cases of sexual bullying, blackmail,
harassment and exploitation using social media. Law enforcement agencies in India are
now only waking up to these challenges. In order to tackle such cyber crimes, law
enforcement agencies need to invest in infrastructure and actively engage with young
people in making them aware of these hazards. Schools also have an important role in
educating young people of such hazards.
Another new phenomenon is sexting which is the act of sending sexually explicit
messages or photos electronically, primarily between cell phones and teenagers are
increasingly using it. There are mobile Internet applications like Whatsapp, which are
essentially replacing standard text messages. They allow photographs and videos to be
shared, which are intrinsically more explicit and have greater impact. A social danger
with sexting is that material can be very easily and widely promulgated, over which the
originator has no control. Increasingly, under pressures from friends, peers and even
adults, the teenagers are becoming victims of sexting. Often it results in widespread
distribution among colleagues, friends and family, resulting in embarrassment,
harassment and blackmail.
Young people with mental illness
Until now we have been discussing the needs of all young people. Unfortunately those
already suffering from mental illness are more prone and vulnerable to the bad effects of
social media. Young people who are suffering from depression are sometimes able to
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express their distress and share their feelings with friends online more easily than in face
to face contact. This can lead to them getting support earlier than they would have got
otherwise. However, quite often such feelings are shared with other young people who
may not be in a position to respond meaningfully. This may foster feelings of
helplessness and worthlessness. Young people with depression are more prone to cyber
bullying. Cyber bullying in itself can be the precipitating or perpetuating factor for
depression.
Vulnerable young people with mental health difficulties can enter into unhealthy
discussion and sharing of information. Examples include numerous forums for Eating
Disorders where information about unhealthy ways of losing weight and other risks are
openly shared. Suicide pacts are getting increasingly common. There is potential to share
dangerous information on ways to commit suicide.
Young people with ADHD can be more impulsive and put information on the social
media, which they may regret about later. This makes them more vulnerable to cyber
bullying and exploitation. The most commonly used ADHD medications wear off in the
evening. Social media is available at any time and young people with ADHD who go
online in late evenings and nights are known to be making impulsive and regrettable
decisions/comments online after the effect of medication wears off, sometimes leading to
serious consequences. As social media is getting increasingly common in young peoples
life such factors should now be a part of the discussions when choosing treatment for
ADHD.

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Conclusion
Whether we like it or not technology and social media are here to stay and will
increasingly become an integral part of our lives. Technology and our behaviour towards
it have changed dramatically in the last decade. It is high time to pause and think of the
good and bad it brings and how it effects the most vulnerable in the society.
The effect of social media on the development and mental health of young people is an
evolving field. There is a dearth of quality research in this area especially in India and
other developing countries. The popular media is quick to establish causative links but
this need to be studied properly. There is urgent need for qualitative studies, to begin
with, to understand the use of social media in young people. In the absence of research in
our culture, one should be careful in interpreting the impact of social media. This is a
novel way of communication, which by its very nature is more prone to be used for some
negative forms of communication such as cyber bullying. This in particular is an
important aspect that needs to be studied. We need to do epidemiological studies to
determine its frequency, mental health issues in both the victim and the perpetrator. We
also need to develop our understanding of the good that such platforms offer. There is a
suggestion that people who end up making serious suicidal attempts are able to be more
communicative about their intent on the social media. We need both qualitative and
epidemiological studies to determine if there is an empirical link.
A lot of the potential harms of social media are probably due to the fact that we still
havent completely understood the dos and donts of online social networking as
Facebook is still a relatively new phenomenon. While our use and understanding of the
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social media is still evolving, the more vulnerable in the society, especially young people,
are at risk of being harmed and exploited. Parents and other caregivers dont feel able
enough to guide them, sometimes due to their own lack of understanding and sometimes
because of lack of clarity with boundary issues. Parents need to be more aware of the
pitfalls of social media and actively engage with young people in making it a safer and
enjoyable experience for them (just like they would when they are sending their child
alone for a trip or an independent excursion). We need to evolve with evolving
technology. Social media providers need to take some responsibility for making the
experience safe for young people and create appropriate safeguards. At a more social
level, the society needs to get into an open to debate to educate each other about
advantages and disadvantages. Legal frameworks and law enforcement agencies need to
adapt, as do education and health professionals. The advantages and benefits are already
being felt. Education and therapies are being delivered online. We need to gear ourselves
to the risks too.
References
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Dr. Chhitij Srivastava, MD, DNB, MRCPsych, CCT (Child and Adolescent Psychiatry)
Lecturer Psychiatry, Psychiatry Unit, Department of Medicine, MLN Medical College,
Allahabad & Honorary Researcher, Institute of Psychiatry, Kings College London.
Dr Anupam Bhardwaj, MD, MRCPsych, CCT (Child and Adolescent Psychiatry)
Consultant Child & Adolescent Psychiatrist, North Essex Partnership University
Foundation NHS Trust & Honorary Senior Lecturer, University College of London.