“Focus on how to be social, not how to do it. » - Joy Baer Social media as described by Google are websites and applications used for social networking. Many teenagers use Facebook, Myspace, Instagram, Twitter, etc. as a means of communication without having the many risk factors explained. Over time, more and more threats have been proposed against teens using social media. Social media negatively impacts adolescents by exposing them to higher-risk activities such as cyberbullying, sexting, and lack of privacy. “Most risks fall into the following categories: peer-to-peer; inappropriate content; lack of understanding of online privacy issues; and outside influences from third-party advertising groups. (O'Keeffe) The first official social networking site was Friendster. Friendster was released around 2002. Before Friendster was created, there were dating sites but no real advertising sites. After the arrival of Friendster (in chronological order), came LinkedIn, Myspace and Facebook. Today there are more than 200 sites. Because technology is so vast and constantly improving, these networks can be accessed almost anywhere by anyone of any age. Furthermore, the accessibility of these networks does not pose a threat to the site itself but to misuse by adolescent users. “Cyberbullying is the deliberate use of digital media to communicate false, embarrassing or hostile information about another person. » (O'Keeffe) Cyberbullying is statistically proven to lower teens' self-esteem. Between the ages of thirteen and eighteen, young people are still trying to understand who they are and where they fit into society. Cyberbullying is changing the era of building self-esteem. Sometimes teenagers don't realize how cruel they are... middle of paper...... have confidence that the sites are trustworthy. They don't realize that everything is permanent even after the account is deleted. They are naive and understand that it is not them who uses it that is bad, but the way social media is used. Parents should monitor what is posted, sent and received. Parents should also monitor the time spent on these social sites, because over time, face-to-face socializing decreases. Social media has a negative impact on teenagers over time, rather than having sex too early or not allowing them to learn certain social skills. Works Cited AAP. “Talking to children and teens about social media and sexting.” June 2011. Children's health. March 17, 2014. Health Day. "Social media has positive and negative effects on children: experts." 2011. USNews. March 28, 2014. O'Keeffe, Gwenn Schurgin. American Academy of Pediatrics. March 28, 2011. March 17 2014.