The Impact of Social Media on Youth: Problems, Analysis, and Solutions

Xayitova Mehribon

Introduction

The 21st century is the era of information technologies and digital communication. The Internet and social media have rapidly become an integral part of human life. Nowadays, young people spend a significant part of their day in the virtual space. This has a substantial impact on their thinking, worldview, and behavior. Therefore, the influence of social media on youth is not only a pedagogical and psychological issue but also a socially significant problem.

Main Part

1. Positive Effects of Social Media

Modern social platforms create vast opportunities for young people. Primarily, they serve as a rapid source of information. Youth can stay informed about global events, learn scientific and popular knowledge, and broaden their intellectual horizons.

Moreover, social media:

expands access to distance learning;

helps learn foreign languages;

provides a platform for creative expression;

offers exposure to different professional fields.

Especially during the pandemic, social media and online platforms became a crucial component of the education system, demonstrating their positive potential.

2. Negative Effects and Risk Factors

At the same time, social media has negative aspects that significantly affect youth consciousness. One major problem is time mismanagement — many young people spend hours consuming unproductive content.

Another critical issue is exposure to false or harmful information. Not all online content is reliable, and the inability to differentiate can lead to poor decision-making.

Additionally:

excessive immersion in virtual life;

mental stress from comparing oneself with others;

cyberbullying;

weakening real-life communication skills

are widely observed.

Psychological studies show that social media addiction can lead to decreased attention span, disrupted sleep patterns, and increased stress levels.

3. The Role of Social Environment in Shaping Youth

From a scientific perspective, adolescence is a crucial stage in personality formation. At this age, values, attitudes, and social positions are established. Social media plays a strong external influence in this process.

If young people engage with useful, educational, and informative content, it positively affects their development. Conversely, shallow or harmful content negatively impacts their mindset. Therefore, social media can be considered a double-edged sword.

4. Solutions and Recommendations

Addressing this issue requires a comprehensive approach. First, it is essential to develop information literacy among youth. Every young person must be able to critically evaluate the information encountered online.

The following measures can be effective:

parental guidance and proper supervision;

incorporating media literacy education in schools and universities;

promoting quality and beneficial content;

organizing meaningful leisure activities for youth.

Additionally, involving young people in sports, reading, and creative activities can reduce social media over-dependence.

Conclusion

In conclusion, social media is a vital component of modern society that strongly influences youth. Using its positive potential wisely while minimizing its negative effects is a pressing contemporary task.

The key points are:

 fostering independent thinking in youth;

 developing the ability to distinguish reliable information;

 maintaining a balance between virtual and real-life activities.

Addressing these challenges is the responsibility of each member of society.

Thirst


A frisson while the night passes
A maw to be filled with bloated stars

The frugalness of neon haunts your suffering
The moon frightens a stranger’s trees

Am I a ghost hiding in plain sight?
Am I a night tremor where the longboats pass?

& If I tremble, it’s only for my love of gillyflowers
That sing, in the wicked breeze of my thirst

Where I am lost, like a cataloguer in a storage room
Of pent-up desires. O cool fountains, interiority—

When do I go to sleep? & In what din
Of a grinning force, how far away is night?


Sometimes it rains here, in the penitentiary of my age
& I am baffled by goslings who have no care for frivolity

Then winter really rubs off on children’s red jackets
& I muffle my knees like a mud cowhand & stutter

In the brackish, sheet metal music of days’ slow death
Shimmering under a wreath of seas

A lost homeland. 

O, Iran!

The land of ancient beauty, 

now the land of deep sorrow

alongside the longing for freedom. 

Your sun is veiled by a shadow’s weight,

and tears have washed over the city gate.

The mothers’ heart in quiet sorrow wait,

while smoke obscures the old, historic places.

In the streets, a quiet fire still burns

for freedom’s song.

Unveiled hair are a high banner,

and the women’s voice turns darkness into light. 

O, Iran!

O, land of poets, wine of the primordial covenant, and the reed!

Your streets are now a fading map,

and the voices are a whisper in the wind.

O, Iran! The land of Hafez, Ferdowsi and Rumi!

Will from your ruins grow a stronger seed?

I carry my home in my fractured soul,

a suitcase filled with your pain 

and your collective grief.

Will the sun rise from your sky again?

Will the long night flee, my cherished land?

©® Farzaneh Dorri

Iran

2026 International Women’s Day Special

Dear Goddess May You Bloom All Your Life

Poem by Lan Xin (Lanxin Samei)

My dearest

Born a woman

you are meant to bloom like a flower

Live up to the grace of being a woman—

flowers are tender and glowing

flowers are graceful and elegant

flowers are bright and enchanting

My dearest

You belong to yourself

Your life is in your own hands

Let no one control or manipulate you

You are the master of your fate

and you may choose the life you desire

My dearest

Whether you are a daughter

a wife

a mother

a daughter-in-law

any other role

never forget—

you are first yourself

then everything else

In every role you fulfill

always remember to be true to yourself

My dearest

I hope you will never

take care of everyone else

yet forget to care for yourself

Be kind to everyone

but never be unkind to your own heart

My dearest

No matter how deeply you love

your children

your husband

your parents

anyone else

never forget—

you must love yourself

Only when you love yourself fully

can you love them better

and attract more love into your life

My dearest

You were born to live in love

When you meet someone you want to love

love bravely

Do not question if it is fate or hardship

do not fear being hurt

do not fear loss

Enjoy the journey of love

do not cling only to the result

Just as flowers bloom and fade

they do not refuse to blossom

for fear of withering one day

So it is with love

Love while you can

My dearest

May your heart be filled with love and warmth

nurturing your soul

When no one loves you

love yourself as a beloved would

You owe this to yourself

When no one warms you

warm your own heart

When no one holds you

embrace the child within you

Whether you have support or not

always remember to rely on yourself first

My dearest

May you cherish

this flower-like life you have been given

Treasure every moment

savor every present

Strive when you need to strive

enjoy when you can enjoy

pursue bravely when you must fight

and seize every opportunity with all your heart

My dearest

May you be as beautiful as you can be

Do not wait to wear lipstick

until your lips can no longer hold color

Do not wait to learn makeup

until your face loses its radiance

Do not wait to care for your skin

until time has left its deep marks

Do not wait to buy that beautiful dress

until you can no longer wear it

You were born to live beautifully—

beautiful for yourself

and beautiful for those who love you

My dearest

May your heart be gentle and compassionate

yet strong as diamond

May your wisdom bloom as beautifully as your grace

and may your beauty last as long as your wisdom

My dearest

You are more than a woman of this world—

you are a daughter of the universe

a mother of the earth

the original source of life

an embodiment of love and light

My dearest

Your awakening

is not only the fulfillment of yourself

but also the tenderness of the world

the hope of civilization

the path for the human soul to return home

My dearest

Every woman can be her own goddess

May you bloom freely

through the cycles of time

and let the world admire your grace

May your entire life

a season of constant blooming

From Lan Xin

To Women All Over the World

On the occasion of 2026 International Women’s Day

I send my most sincere wishes

to every extraordinary woman across the globe

May you be treated gently by the world

and cherished tenderly by the years

May your heart hold light

your eyes hold joy

your feet walk a clear path

May you be loved all your life

bloom with confidence

live with ease and grace

May you love yourself deeply

and be your most beautiful self in every role you play

To all women around the world

Happy Women’s Day!

May your grace last forever

and your life be full of fragrance!

Black dogs tall ships sailing legends aboard the Shenandoah

Blacks dogs born and built this ship take people out one day at a time as a big wind jammer! 

A lot of names for those ships you see them in Rockland Maine half way up the coast of Maine

But this one is from Matha’s Vineyard off of cape cod I never looked into it too expensive can’t afford it

I try not to cry about it for fear of being called too sensitive 

Luxurious lives on those boats this girl named misery once jumped a float she used to

Live on a ship called The Schooner; people used to joke about it “the Schooner the better” they used to call it

One time my friend Gaye invited me to see the bay rich white gay man all on display

Told him I’ve never been on a boat so I got no sea legs he asked “well how did you come here from Africa?”

“I flew, I flew Air America…” He said they even have a schooner in Boston Harbor they call it The Liberty

Back in the days when scorned people fought to be free they used to serve up Sunday brunch

Wealthy people got on board and munch munch munch! The Sun shone bright those lazy days…

Summer days when the air smelled like green while poor people gazed then came the recession

So the ships found a new direction they all sailed to Florida couldn’t get any business too cold this time of year

No tourists except between May and September to see black dogs hung for adventure 

Forty years ago souvenir shops were cheaper now that black dogs cost a lot more they’re rarer

Since they’ve all moved on to better weather now this side of the sea bacteria multiplies 

With the speed of a giant panther malaria is having a blast. A procession of people in body casts!

Their hearts fire dying from hunger no one wants to lend a hand to the man in the sewer.

Jacques Fleury is a Boston Globe featured Haitian American Poet, Educator, Author of four books and literary arts student at Harvard University online. His latest publication “You Are Enough: The Journey to Accepting Your Authentic Self” & other titles are available at all Boston Public Libraries, the University of Massachusetts Healey Library, University of Wyoming, Askews and Holts Library Services in the United Kingdom, The Harvard Book Store, The Grolier Poetry Bookshop, Amazon etc… He has been published in prestigious publications such as Spirit of Change Magazine, Wilderness House Literary Review, Muddy River Poetry Review, Litterateur Redefining World anthologies out of India, Poets Reading the News, the Cornell University Press anthology Class Lives: Stories from Our Economic Divide, Boston Area Small Press and Poetry Scene among others…Visit him at:  http://www.authorsden.com/jacquesfleury.–

No

Not everyone can be friends. 

not friends with everyone, 

not all indulgences, 

don’t listen to everything 

don’t accept everything. 

Not to bear all, 

never be silent, 

don’t go everywhere, 

don’t tell everyone everything. 

not to do all the work, 

don’t go against your will. 

don’t take bad, do not think evil, 

don’t give bad, 

not all competitions, 

not all behavior at all, 

don’t waste time. 

Don’t be weak, 

don’t lag behind. 

Amb. Dr. Priyanka Neogi is from Coochbehar. She is an administrative controller of United Nations’ PAF, a librarian, a CEO of Lio Messi International Property & Land Consultancy, international literacy worker, sports & peace promoter, dancer, singer, reciter, live telecaster, writer, editor, researcher, literary journalist, host, beauty queen, international co-ordinator of the Vijay Mission of Community Welfare Foundation of India.

afternoon heat

naps stretch and blur 

in liminal rest

two hot days 

zephyr lilies 

predict rain 

ponding

frogs echo 

one another 

Grokipedia profile: https://grokipedia.com/page/Christina_Chin