O impacto das redes sociais na vida de adolescentes e jovens

Abstract

Due to technological advances, the number of people with Internet access has increased exponentially. This rise of technology has assisted in the areas of health, education, security, among others. A resource that can be beneficial in so many areas, however, has caused dependence and affected social relationships, and can have consequences for the mental health of individuals. The present study aimed to examine the impacts of the use of digital technologies on the mental health of adolescents and young people. At the beginning, a systematic review of the literature (SRL) was carried out to provide the theoretical basis for the later stages of the research. This research is exploratory, presents a mixed approach, using interviews and surveys3 to collect data. The research consisted of two samples, the first one composed of 05 psychologists and the second one composed by 566 adolescents and young people, with ages between 12 and 21 years, students of schools of the public school system. The results obtained showed that there are relations between the technological dependence and the psychological health of adolescents and young people. It was also possible to note that virtual social networks can accentuate social problems and generate great impacts on the life of anyone, especially the young, among them: anxiety, depression and dependence. The work resulted in a prototype mobile application, which can be used to measure the levels of technological dependency of adolescents or young people.