“Social Media and Students During the Post Covid 19 Pandemic: Being Socially Connected While Physically Distant”

Abstract

The health, safety and daily lives of all individuals are affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Adolescents can be highly sensitive to this abrupt disruption of their lives because of the biological and psychological changes that occur during this developmental period. Social media has rapidly changed the ways in which today’s adolescents socialize and interact with one another, which has contributed to an ongoing debate about whether social media is helping or harming teens in this modern technological era. The COVID-19 pandemic has only aggravated this societal dilemma as the youth are spending more time than ever before on social media. Hence, it is very necessary for parents, educators, and adolescents to better understand social media use in the context of COVID-19. The present study discusses the implications of social media for the development of studentsalong with their mental health in the context of COVID-19, with special emphasis on the ways by which social media can be made a constructive tool which can be helpful for teens in the midst of physical distancing practices, as well as finding out the various reasons how social media behaviors can negatively impact students’ physical and mental health during this pandemic situation. Using research and theory, the study provides some suggesting ways on the beneficial use of social media and reducing its negative effects during the COVID-19 pandemic and as more people than ever before rely on social media to maintain social connection and avoid social isolation, therefore this study may be useful for people of all ages who want to understand the benefits and drawbacks of using social media during the COVID-19 pandemic.