Social media platforms have faced backlash since they were first conceived. The main, ongoing argument is whether or not social media is acceptable for young people. Many people, according to Health Guide, are concerned for the mental health of young users due to the amount of cyberbullying, false information and inappropriate content available with just a few clicks. 

Nonetheless, the use of social media has been on the rise since the early 2000’s. In 2004, the most used social media was a platform called MySpace. According to Our World in Data, the use of MySpace peaked in popularity around 2008, with about 72.41 million users. Currently, the most used social media platform is Facebook, with about 2.26 billion users as of 2018. Facebook users have a very wide age range, while other social media platforms cater towards young adults and teenagers. 

“I would say social media is a good thing for young people to have, especially right now, during the pandemic,” sophomore Preslee Ellette said.

One reason why social media is extremely popular is because it has a large variety of uses. For example, Instagram allows users to message privately, share pictures, make face to face calls, and more. Instagram is one of the most commonly used social media platforms at NHS and throughout the world. However, the most popular app amongst high schoolers in Newton is TikTok. 

“It can hurt your mental health if you see something you didn’t want to see but the good part about that is that you can easily block someone,” senior Alondra Valle said.

Social media is a very powerful tool. Although some view it as a negative environment because of how easy it can be to spread negativity online with no repercussions. However, it is just as easy to spread positivity online. Social media can connect a user to people from all over the world. Depending on how it is used, social media can be greatly beneficial or greatly detrimental. 

“Your best friend could be someone from a different country,” senior Alex Valverde said. “That’s the best thing about social media, there’s a ton of people out there who are like each and every one of us.”