Influence of Trends on Teens

People and Trends//Trying to fit in, people will do anything that they see online no matter what it is. Everyone wants to be liked and fit in with the “popular” groups  but what are the impacts of that? (Photo by Megan Meusy)

In today's digital age, online trends have become a dominant force shaping the lives of teenagers. From viral challenges and dance crazes to fashion wardrobe and social media movements, these trends have a powerful influence on how teens interact with the world, form their identities, and navigate relationships.  While online trends can offer opportunities for new experiences, creativity and, self-expression, they also have very negative influences including social pressure, and mental health issues.  Despite knowing these negative effects, teenagers still find themselves scrolling on social media to get a decent amount of dopamine.

One of the most prominent ways online trends have affected teens is through the creation of social pressures. This is because, as humans, we want to feel like we belong in the world and desire to find acceptance within a group or community. When a trend takes off and a teenager likes the person that did the trend or looks up to them, they will begin to start acting like them. This might lead them to imitating that trend—even if it is harmful example  The same imitation can come out in a variety of ways; it can look like adopting behaviors and even buying specific items  that these influencers bought. This highlights how social media can shape personal choices and identity during the teenage years by making everyone do the same thing, and how these influences can form the minds of a lot of youth during these years.

In addition to this, online trends play a significant role in shaping teenagers’ mental health and their body image. The filtered content on social media can create unrealistic beauty standards and promote comparison. Trends that focus on physical appearance such as weight loss challenges or makeup tutorials, can begin insecurities and contribute to body image issues among teens.

TikTok is one of the biggest online influencers on teens. It is programmed to have short, attention-grabbing videos that have been starting people to make trends that capture the attention of teens regarding beauty, whether that be hair, makeup, weight, and more. Due to the fact that these shortform videos are going around, so many teens are consuming so much fake content that increases their insecurities by making them appear as if they are just not beautiful because they are not like the person who spent hours editing the video they are watching across the screen. Ultimately, it spreads the message to people to try and shape their looks into something that is not even possible to simply look good on a screen for other people to see. 

From beauty to following the bandwagon, social media and the online trends that are a part of it have tremendous influence over teenagers in the world we live in today. Many of the problems reflected in behavior and mental health amongst teenagers can be found at its root with the values and mindsets things like social media encourage. The impressionable and foundational years of being a teenager are so incredibly valuable, and they should not be shaped by only social media. While some of these trends can foster creativity, connection, and awareness, they also risk so many negative outcomes for teens. Navigating through the digital world requires a teenager to understand the importance of differences between people; therefore, to hold onto the positives that social media does have, it is an essential for teens to be aware of the fight against their innate desire to fit in, and instead value what makes them both similar and different than the people they see on the screen.