University of Trinidad and Tobago
School for Studies in Learning Cognition and Education
EDFN111B – Academic Reading, Writing and Research
Student Name: Clifford Pierre
Student ID: 57420
Assignment Due Date: 3rd April, 2012
Assignment: Argument Essay
Instructor: Mrs. Andrews

Topic: Effects of Social Media on Adolescents

Thesis Statement: As with virtually any use of the internet, using social networks becomes a risk to adolescents more often than most realize.

TOPIC | TOPIC SENTENCE | Privacy Issues | 1. Social media allows youths to share private information that can lead to exploitation and abuse. | Cyberbullying | 2. There are many reports of youths affected by cyberbullying – the relentless online teasing, ostracizing, …show more content…

Such material can corrupt adolescents thinking and behaviour. Moreover, this practice, adolescents circulating pictures of themselves, highlights another risk. Many youths are oblivious to the fact that social media carve out a reputation that can be difficult to erase. It seems that when youths go on a social network, they lose their sense of reason. Youths post pictures or videos of themselves appearing to be drunk, posing in ways that accentuate their bodies, even nude at times, or involved outrageous activities. They also post comments on what would not normally be mentioned, not realizing that one distasteful post can lead to ruined reputation. Damaging a reputation on social networks can have long-range consequences to adolescents. Grown Up Digital states: “Stories are legion of social network site users losing their jobs or being turned down for new jobs because of what they posted online.” The matter of a youth’s reputation can be taken for granted, but can have serious repercussions for them.
Furthermore, social media can become addictive, consuming excessive amounts of time and distracting youths from more vital activities. Adolescents are spending a great deal of time on social networks creating, reading and responding to information posted on social networks. The amount of time spent reaches to the point of obsession. Why is this of