Parents Must Know, This Is The Impact Of FOMO On Social Media On Teenagers

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JAKARTA - FOMO or Fear of Missing Out is a feeling of anxiety and fear that arises within a person due to missing something new, such as news, trends, and other things.

In general, FOMO causes a person to assume that he has a low social rating. This belief eventually causes anxiety and low feelings. What's more, FOMO is very common at the age of 18 to 33 years. In fact, a survey found that about two-thirds of people in this age group admit that they often experience FOMO.

Historically, a person is always worried about his position in society. But with the emergence of social media, FOMO is a bigger issue, especially for teenagers who spend their time online.

Meanwhile, research shows that people who experience FOMO are more likely to appreciate social media. In fact, some psychologists even argue that fear of being left behind is the reason that makes social media platforms so successful. For example, they claim that FOMO encourages people to use technology so that others know not only what they are doing but also how much fun they are doing.

But this should not be surprising. It's easy for teens to define their lives based on what they see online. In fact, watching, criticizing, and liking every movement other people are doing online is something that keeps them from constantly measuring life based on the post.

If you ask teenagers if they experience social media anxiety, most of them will say no. But what is not realized is that if they are stressed or worried about what they see online, it is likely that children will experience FOMO.

Excess concerns about what other people do only cause teenagers to lose their own lives even more. In fact, FOMO causes people's attention to go outside, not inside. So that gradually it can cause children to lose their identity and struggle against low self-confidence.

A study found that the more people use Facebook, the worse their feelings from minute to minute. Their overall sense of satisfaction gets worse because they feel the need to always connect with what others are doing. Meanwhile, other research found that a third of people feel worse when using Facebook, especially if they see photos of other people's vacations.

Meanwhile, Australia's National Stress and Welfare Survey found that 60 percent of teens said they were worried when they found out their friends were having fun without them. And 51 percent said they were anxious if they didn't know what their friends were doing. What's more, the researchers say that there is a very real correlation between the number of hours spent online with higher stress and depression levels.

Another consequence of FOMO is learning disorders. For example, teenagers with high FOMO levels are more likely to check their social media during class or while spending time with family.

One way to deal with FOMO for teenagers is to practice what is called reframing, or mental training designed to help children see the situation differently. Here are some things you can do, reported Very Well Parenting, Tuesday, June 25.

Track Negative Thoughts

One thing that teenagers can do to overcome FOMO is to record negative thoughts and feelings in a journal. This allows them to observe how often they feel negative towards themselves or their lives.

Then, invite parents to analyze the journal in order to determine whether there is a negative pattern. And what needs to be changed in order to feel better about yourself and your life.

Select Positive Thoughts

Tracking negative thoughts also allows teens to recognize the negative words and phrases they repeat on themselves. Then, when you find yourself saying something negative to yourself, try to take the idea of changing those negative words with something positive.

Schedule A Break Period From Gadget

Apart from gadgets, it is a natural medicine to deal with FOMO. Divert the time to play gadgets by doing other things such as reading books, traveling with family or friends, doing hobbies, or making cakes. What is clear is that these activities are not related to gadgets.

Train Mindfulness

Mindfulness is an intense training to focus on whatever is currently being done. In addition to meditation, mindfulness can also be done by walking in the yard or in the forest. The point is to make teenagers fully focus on what they are currently doing.