In Britain it is impossible to remain oblivious to the evolution of social media. In every street, shop and house you are greeted by blinking screens, blaring phones and false images, obscuring our minds against reality.

The prime contributors in this internet driven world include Snapchat, Instagram and Facebook. These names frequently appear on the social media spectrum, forever snatching new members and followers like greedy children; yet how has this exponential growth affected the population?

Many people are confusing connections they make in an electronic environment with those they form in real life. They assume that their friends on Facebook will automatically become their physical buddies and that the number of likes on their photos determines their popularity. These insecurities, spurred on by the internet, can lead to feelings of depression and distress, especially in young people, as they become ensnared in a superficial net.

In the online world young people often put themselves at risk by disclosing personal information. They forget that on the internet nothing is truly private, preferring to disregard the immediate dangers for the fictitious promise of a higher status in their online community. On multiple occasions, teenagers across the world have used social media for malicious purposes, manipulating and corrupting the gift of modern technology with cruel words, typed with the sole purpose of humiliating others. Facebook itself is also a hive for risqué photos, revealing more than viewers bargained for, and teenagers acting on impulse, do not think twice before posting inappropriate images and messages.

As a teenager I have, in the past, fallen victim to the influence of social media. I remember constantly comparing myself to others on Instagram, fishing for likes on Facebook and spending hours taking selfies on Snapchat. It was wasted time which led to minimal satisfaction and I regret allowing myself to be brainwashed by these meaningless sites.

Social media has contributed towards some positive effects, such as introducing people to politics, businesses and culture, yet I believe that the negative impacts outweigh the positives. Fashion model and actress Cara Delevingne admitted to Vogue that she felt social media provided ‘too much freedom’, becoming ‘too much, too young’ for many children. In fact, social media has led to an increase in cyber bullying, depression and unhealthy behaviours as well as reducing people’s privacy and sense of self-esteem. All these factors make social media a very dangerous modern medium.

By Lauren Falconer, The Lady Eleanor Holles School