Scores of youngers Americans are purging social media from their lives, pointing out how toxic the platforms can be.

From CBN News. Younger Americans are quickly falling out of love with social media.

View Comments (0)

Zoomers — those born in the late 1990s and early 2000s — are turning their backs on TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram, leaving behind what many now see as “the ultimate waste,” according to the New York Post.

The anti-app exodus comes as Gen Zers are calling the platforms “toxic” and “obsessive….”

Gabriella Steinerman, 20, told the Post, “When you delete it, you realize you don’t need it.” She said she got rid of TikTok and Instagram in 2019 and felt a nearly immediate sense of relief after doing so….

An even broader survey of 84,011 people — ranging in age from 10 to 80 years old — found that “the cross-sectional relationship between self-reported estimates of social media use and life satisfaction ratings is most negative in younger adolescents.” Ultimately, the survey results suggested social media use negatively impacts younger users’ body image, life satisfaction, and self-esteem.

The Verge reported that, regardless of whether they used social media very frequently or sparingly, adolescents in the 16-to-21-year-old range saw lower life satisfaction simply as a result of engaging with the platforms….

“Teens told us that they don’t like the amount of time they spend on the app but feel like they have to be present,” one Instagram research manager purportedly said. “They often feel ‘addicted,’ and know that what they’re seeing is bad for their mental health but feel unable to stop themselves.”

As if that is not enough, Instagram has also sparked a negative comparison game in users’ lives.

Tallo released a survey in December showing 56% of Zoomers — a nickname for those born in Generation Z — feel “social media has led them to feel left out by their peers.” Furthermore, 75% of young women on social media apps reported feeling prompted “to compare themselves to peers….”

It seems increasingly clear there are many negative side effects to social media use — particularly among younger demographics.

As Christians, it is important to safeguard our view of ourselves and others….

Our value comes not from the number of “likes” we can muster up on social media or from the quality of photos we post to our feeds. Our worth is found solely in who we are as people created in the image of God and commissioned by Him to share the Gospel with a world desperate for hope….

If social media is causing a problem in your life, leave it behind. Your life will be richer without it.

How are you praying about social media usage in our culture?

(Excerpt from CBN News. Photo Credit: Creative Christians on Unsplash)