Abstract

With the rapid speed at which modern society is developing in all areas, particularly technology, social media is becoming increasingly vital in adolescents’ lives, offering them unprecedented access to cross-cultural communication and diverse knowledge. However, the platforms also make those digital natives vulnerable to misleading concepts and information, bringing high risk in constructing their immature cognitive perceptions and belief systems. This essay delves into exploring the role of social media misinformation, focusing on the area of health, in distorting reality, reinforcing bias, and overwhelming young people, which in turn leads to well-being issues such as irritability and anxiety. In addition, psychological theories, such as social learning theory and social identity theory, are included to explain and comprehend the problem further from both individual and societal perspectives. Finally, the essay highlights possible solutions and improvements in resolving the negative intertwining between social media and misinformation.

Keywords: health, social media, misinformation, teenagers, cognition and belief system

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