Presently, if we need to name a single thing that all teenagers and adolescents do, undoubtedly, our answer will be social media. Not only in a single platform, but teenagers nowadays have their personal accounts in almost all the major platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Whatsapp and many more. Although it makes our lives a bit easier and allows us to connect with people living far away from us, as a burning candle cannot light up the area surrounding its base, social media is also not full of goods.
According to Common Sense Media, teens spend an average of 9 hours a day on social media platforms. This means that a whopping 37.5% of their time in a day goes into social media doing nothing productive. Now the question that arises whether social media is undermining sports or not. See, studies have to be done because of pressures from parents, teachers or friends. A teen under strict parental guidance cannot take out time from their studies to put in social media. So, where does the time come from? Is the time that was earlier used to get devoted to sports, now being devoted to social media platforms? If yes, then what are its consequences?
The answer to the questions is yes! What would teens prefer? Relaxing in an A.C. room with a smartphone in hand and mind in social media or going out in the hot summer days to play Football or Cricket. Without a doubt, the answer is the first option. The interest in sports is coming down day by day. The extra time given to social media, except the free time, is managed by cutting the time reserved for sports. Also, as there is a tendency among the teens to keep their data always on, messages keep popping up every now and then, thus distracting the individual from the sports they are indulged in.
Social media has given every one to express their views on everything along with the option of being anonymous too. Also, every sports icon has its own personal account on social media, enabling them to be able to communicate with their fans and keep them updated on what is happening in their lives. Times come when the player might not be in his form or might give bad performances in consecutive matches. Here, the haters come to play their role. They post slangs on social media trying to demoralize the sports icon. Sometimes this works too, as the icon gets demotivated and loses self-confidence after seeing such posts and reading the comments. This is a major loss for sports too.
Thus, social media is obviously undermining sports, no matter whether indoor or outdoor and in years to come, teens using too much social media these days and neglecting sports are sure to come across severe health issues like diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure, to name a few.
