Implications that Social Media Presence Has on School and College Students | RISE Research

This paper examines the implications of social-media presence for school and college students, surveying both the positive and negative effects across academics and overall wellbeing. Its starting point is that social media has become deeply embedded in students' lives and has shifted how young people think and what they value, creating new and often unrealistic standards. The study catalogues the ways heavy use of platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat and YouTube can affect mental health, sleep, attention and concentration, time management and communication skills. It also addresses the spread of misinformation, noting how virality is prioritised over accuracy and how manipulated media and unrealistic, edited images can distort self-perception, particularly around body image and beauty standards. A significant portion of the paper concerns the serious harms of cyberbullying and online harassment, drawing on well-known real-world cases to illustrate how online abuse can isolate students and damage their confidence, self-esteem and sense of identity, with severe psychological consequences. Alongside these harms, the paper acknowledges the genuine communicative and empowering potential of social media, framing the same tools as capable of both uplifting and harming young people. Its broader focus is constructive: by documenting the negative and detrimental impacts and weighing them against the benefits, the paper aims to raise awareness and point toward possible solutions, including the role of government intervention and support. The work treats social media as a double-edged influence on young people and concentrates on what can be done to protect student wellbeing and identity.