By Pascalle Farr
We get it. New Yorkers are an ADD society and now Facebook is making it worse.
A new study by the American Psychological Association says that social websites like, Facebook, Twitter and even online games are turning a generation of teenagers into a narcissistic, aggressive and antisocial society.
“While nobody can deny that Facebook has altered the landscape of social interaction, particularly among young people, we are just now starting to see solid psychological research demonstrating both the positives and the negatives,” said the author of the study, Dr. Larry Rosen with California State University, Dominguez Hills.
The study, titled, “Poke Me: How Social Networks Can Both Help and Harm Our Kids,” Rosen found teenagers who play a lot of games on Facebook are more likely to ditch school, abuse alcohol and have trouble Sleeping. His study found they also have higher levels of anxiety, depression and stomach issues.
“Teens who use Facebook more often show more narcissistic tendencies while young adults who have a strong Facebook presence show more signs of other psychological disorders, including antisocial behaviors, mania and aggressive tendencies,” said Dr. Rosen.
Social Media Inspires Communication Problems
As part of the study, researchers observed students from junior high through college age. The found the average teen sends 2000 texts per month, which can lead to problems communicating with family and even carpal tunnel syndrome in a few cases. It also led to lower test performance than students who focus for longer periods of time.
Facebook has a negative impact on learning because it is time-consuming and distracting. Middle school, high school and college students who checked Facebook at least once during a 15-minute study period achieved lower grades according to Rosen’s research.
But there is a positive side to social networking. The social networking platforms allow introverted teens to feel more comfortable, allowing them to socialize and learn how to better communicate among their peers.
