Social media encompasses all software programmes, websites, and blogs that allow users to talk, share material, make video calls, and perform a variety of other functions over the internet. Anyone who wants to view information, share it with others, and talk with other members of that social media network must first sign up for an account on that platform. Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, and Snapchat are just a few of the popular and commonly utilized social networking sites. 

Social media have grown and achieved so much notoriety over the past 20 years that many scholars are now interested in finding out more about these social platforms and how they affect society. The kids and teens are the leading and most devoted users of these social platforms, to the extent that they even socialize while in class or even at church, despite the fact that nearly everyone in the community is linked to at least one social media platform. In this context, experts have discovered that these social media platforms have a significant negative influence on the morals, conduct, and even educational outcomes of our kids. 

Social media use has an effect on today's youngsters that is both beneficial and detrimental. I want to highlight the effects of social media, particularly on the younger members of this generation. Positive and negative effects result from these effects.

In addition to keeping them informed of global events and allowing them to network and stay connected with their friends and other youngsters without physically meeting, social media has good effects on today's youth. It reduces the distance between friends since, for example, someone in Africa may connect with and communicate with their buddy in the US.

As a result, ties between people who went to school together, such as high school or college classmates, then migrated to other countries after graduation, are strengthened. Youths may also build pages and groups on social media platforms based on their careers, religious beliefs, and other aspects of their life, which fosters more relationships and expands the chances available for each discipline. This may even result in the creation of extra work prospects for young people who are unemployed. According to the many interviews conducted each day with young people, social media platforms have become a way of life and make their lives more fun, productive, and easy.

According to a BBC News study, social isolation is caused by social media platforms even if they appear to link more people and force them to keep current. Because young people often spend most of their time on these online social networks, it decreases the amount of face-to-face contacts among them. A review of several research conducted by different experts reveals that social isolation among young people can have a variety of negative repercussions, including problems with their physical, emotional, mental, and psychological health. Depression, anxiety, and a host of other issues might result from this. Through the use of abbreviations and short forms, it also contributes to incorrect word spelling and the incorrect use of verb tenses.

Additionally, it makes young teenagers, say those under the age of 18, vulnerable to internet predators who can seduce them into engaging in sexual misbehaviour like lesbianism and other general sexual offences. These teenagers are further exposed to pornographic material that is circulated in some online social circles. In consequence, this causes young females to become pregnant early and drop out of school. Additionally, it increases the risk of contracting STDs like HIV, which can cause early deaths in our young population. Due to their increased access to immoral books and films, these youngsters' morality are also being compromised.

Youths' productivity is also reduced by spending a lot of time conversing on social networking platforms. The youths thus become dependent on their parents and relatives for support rather than being self-reliant. Spending excessive amounts of time on social media may be diverted to more useful activities that allow one to generate a job or even pursue an education, such as taking use of online courses and research resources.

Identity theft occurs more frequently and on a larger scale on social media because it offers a suitable platform for cyberbullying and theft.

In conclusion, it has been established that social networking has an impact on our youth that is both beneficial and bad. The decision of whether to continue using the websites, cease, or even restrict their usage, should be made by individuals. Parents should mentor and counsel their children on contemporary issues like the use of social media and caution them about its detrimental effects on them when abused or overused. The education curriculum should also be changed to incorporate social media studies into its disciplines in order to warn students that they need to exercise caution when using social media.