Teen dating issues? Social media may be to blame......

This guy you've been seeing says he's going out with his friends tonite, but later on, you catch a photo of him on his friend's instagram chatting with some chick you've never even seen before. They are looking pretty cozy and you start freaking out!

Dating as a teenager is always a new adventure. First dates, homecoming, prom, and falling in love — there always seems to be something to look forward to. At the same time, when you begin dating as a teenager, it can be full of many issues. When you are young, you are still discovering who you are, who you want to be, and what you want your life to look like.

Life as a teenager can be a very fine balancing act, in any time period. Today, teenagers are facing more complications than past generations. There is no denying that we live in a technology-filled world. So much of everyone’s lives, including adults, are consumed with it. In some ways, this rings even more true for teenagers now and in the future. While social media can’t be blamed for all of the problems that arise in teen dating, they certainly are contributing to them. Here’s how.....

Everything Is Visible

It is common for most teenagers to have a lot of friends on social media that they have in common with others. Social media has allowed teenagers to branch out and connect with other teens they might not have otherwise met. It can be great, having this large network of people you can relate to, but, one downfall of social media is that, for the most part, everything is visible online. As long as you have friends in common, you can see every like, comment, or reaction.

This is exactly why, as teenagers who are dating, this can really add to jealousy issues. You may see the person you are dating reacting to posts of an attractive person or commenting on it. You can see if they seem to constantly interact with a certain person.

Because everything is so visible online, teenagers don’t always realize that everything they do is public. This can lead to jealousy issues in a world that already makes you feel insecure. Especially on Instagram, seeing heart reactions on posts can make any teenager feel jealous. And when jealousy rears it’s ugly head, this can have damaging consequences to an already fragile dating game.

Ghosting

15 years ago, this really wasn’t a thing. Not in the way that it is today. Ghosting, in today’s terms, is when you are talking to someone and they just stop responding. Stop showing up to meet with you – avoiding you at all costs. It comes on suddenly, oftentimes with no warning.

Ghosting, technically speaking, has always been a thing with each generation, it just shows itself differently. With the internet and many teenagers dating through “talking online,” this is becoming more common, and unfortunately, easier to do. Ghosting is like breaking up, except the other person receives no verbal indication that the other person wants to end it.

Ghosting just leads to major problems in dating. Not only for that couple, but for any future people they may date. Since news travels fast, it will be very likely that everyone will find out about the incident within hours or days. For the person who did the ghosting, they may get a reputation for doing this, causing some major red flags to others. For the person who was ghosted, others may think there has to be something wrong with them to have this done to them.

The Relationship Is On Display For Everyone To See

Teenagers who are dating are still trying to figure each other out and also still figuring themselves out. Yet, they are doing it in an extremely public manner.

Dating as a teenager means that your whole relationship, unless you keep it completely off social media, will always be under scrutiny. What pictures are they tagging each other in? Are they publicly posting about each other? Who liked who’s post last. The list can go on and on. With everyone watching your every move, this puts a lot of pressure on dating couples.

There is also a lot of pressure to create or post only the best of relationships. Cute photos together and fun moments are fun to see. But for couples who don’t do this, it can make them feel as if their own relationship isn’t what it should be. Social media creates a perfect and fabricated snapshot of what relationships should look like. And as teenagers, this can be problematic when they see perfect lives being displayed when their very own isn’t.

Relationships are complicated at any age. For teenagers growing up in today’s social media-filled world, this puts added pressure and complications on an already roller-coaster filled ride. Teen therapy can offer support from someone who is not only trained to help, but understands the struggles that younger people are going through, can be just the type of support you are looking for.