Is Instagram Toxic to Teens?

Instagram is a highly-rated social media platform in the digital world today, but is your teen safe here?

Almost 2/3 of the globe’s population is on Instagram, and it likely attracts the younger crowd, especially teens. However, how safe are the teens on Instagram? Is Instagram toxic to teens? It’s a question every parent may ask themselves. Just like a coin has two faces, this social media network has two faces which can be a positive side of this social media platform and a negative side.

Instagram has emerged as an eCommerce website.

Instagram allows you to showcase your products and services digitally and grab onto your target audience. It does not differentiate based on gender or age; if teens have a passion for a particular industry, they can always work on it and flourish on this platform.

You may have seen hundreds of teen Instagram influencers who have a massive number of Instagram followers and, at the same time, hold an influential online audience through the interaction they receive on this platform in the form of Instagram likes, comments, and shares. This gives teenagers the motivation to work harder towards their dreams.

However, teenagers get confused in this popularity race, and they can go to any height to grab the attention they require. Sometimes they may even be fooled by spammers and fraudsters who disguise themselves as genuine customers but fool them out of their money by grabbing sensitive information. In such a case, if the teen needs to be more vigilant to understand how the dynamics of a market work and at the same time has no prior experience in engaging with the audience, then they can be trapped on this platform.

You can build a career on Instagram.

Teen Instagram influencers are earning millions for the lifestyle they live, the food they eat, and the people they meet. These individuals have a very high number of Instagram followers and get signed up by brands and companies for endorsements and assignments. When these individuals collaborate with brands, they get several promotions, which is how they make up a livelihood on this digital platform.

While many may choose Instagram as their source of income, this kind of popularity is rare, and you need to be highly consistent to click in the minds of the audience that follow you.

While people incorporate many strategies, such as they try to get maximum Instagram followers and likes to force Instagram algorithms to start showing in explore page.

Instagram has made teenagers tech-savvy.

Recently, the younger generation has been very good with technology and the digital world. They know everything about videography, photography, and the skills required to edit any piece of content. Instagram has given young people a platform to showcase their communication skills and a voice to be vocal about everything they believe in. There is no bias, and the rules and policies of Instagram stand the same for every Instagrammer, which gives people the power to do the right things.

At the same time, Instagram can encourage hatred and anti-social thoughts against various subjects. The hate can be towards a particular group, identity, race, or religion. Something that teens see on Instagram may feel motivated to do so, and without the proper guidance, they may indulge themselves in any activity. However, such posts are removed by Instagram if reported, but other features such as reels and DM’s can be powerfully used against any propaganda. We can’t be social media cops unless a reality check is done.

The bottom line

Every social media platform can be toxic in some other way if we focus more on the negative side of the platform than the positive. Similarly, Instagram too can be toxic to your teen if they indulge in Instagram for longer and do not focus on their work or studies.

At the same time, if parents of teens help teens understand this platform’s positive side and shed some light on how they can make it more productive, then this platform will help the teens find the right direction.

As teens discover this new world, they may find many things on this platform to be exciting and unique. Curiosity is something that embarks this age group. Teens should be allowed to discover their curiosities, but at the same time, they need to be aware of their limits and that there are ethics in life.