Is Social Media A Replacement For Drugs Among Teens?

Drugs or social media? Most people might think that majority of teens would actually choose drugs but
that is no longer the case. Social media has proven to be much more powerful and tempting than any
pills, powders or alcohol. Year after year, teenagers are dropping drugs but marijuana seems to remain as the only popular drug.

The question, however, arises if social media as a replacement for drugs and alcohol among teens is good news? The answer almost always leads to a never-ending argument. It can be agreed that the decline in the usage of drug and alcohol is a sign of better behavior. But is the rise in time spent on social media (through phones, laptops, and other gadgets), a sign of better behavior too?

Teenagers are spending less time going out and more time staring at their phones and locked in their
rooms. According to Rolling Stone, social skill development and emotional maturity are now limited only on a screen and no physical progress is visible. One may see this as somewhat wonderful because at least youngsters aren't going out, getting drunk and getting arrested or getting involved in accidents or illegal actions.

Staying at home with gadgets, on the other hand, breeds social isolation and has been proven disastrous as it will raise an isolated and sheltered child who is not ready to explore life in the real world. Not only drugs but casual rock & roll and even sex are also being ditched for more screen time.

With that said, this seems to confirm that social media is indeed more addictive than cigarettes. More teenagers are concerned about the number of likes they received on a Facebook profile. Even though long-term effects of such happenings are yet to be determined, some experts said depression and insomnia are definitely on the list.

The Line Pitch News notes this leaves parents with only two options: risking children to drug abuse and its effects or raising socially incompetent kids. Either is a kind of fear that parents have to live under, as one is replacing another. A choice has to be made and it depends on what is worth sacrificing.