Social networks’ influence on modern adolescents: key problems and destructive consequences

The paper deals with the results of an analysis conducted to reveal the influence of social networks on modern adolescents. A questionnaire survey of Moscow schoolchildren aged 15–18 years (N = 312) was used as the leading research method. It has been found that 59.2 % of adolescents prefer to spend their leisure time on social networks. Almost half of the respondents (42.7 %) can be classified as «extreme Internet users». Most schoolchildren are fully aware of the «abnormality» of this situation: more than half of them note that they spend more time on the Internet than they plan. At the same time, 57.2 % of adolescents sometimes prefer social networks to communication with their loved ones; 12.2 % do it frequently. For more than 65% of the respondents, the considerable amount of time they spent on social networks provokes serious conflicts in the family. For 57.2 % of the respondents, the virtual world seems to be a source of «good mood». Every second teenager notes «pressure» and «negativity» from parents with regard to their frequent use of social networks; every fifth has become more secretive in this matter, trying to prevent their family from noticing them visiting social networks. The research leads to the following conclusions: the amount of time spent by the majority of adolescents on social networks exceeds critical values. The destructive consequences of this situation are chronic lack of sleep, conflicts in the family, replacement of real communication with virtual. The situation is aggravated by the negative influence of social networks on the psyche and life in general, with adolescents being unconscious of that. Recognizing the presence of conflicts in the family, adolescents are not ready to abandon social networks in favor of real communication. Moreover, for many respondents, virtual communication becomes an integral trigger of good psychological well-being.