Over the past decade, the rise of technology and the use of social media has drastically increased. Smart phones have taken over and most teens now have instant access to social media websites. Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter are all very commonly used sites used by teens all over the world. Social media has both positive and negative effects on our society. It allows us to keep in touch with family and friends who may not live near us or to reconnect with old friends. However, studies have shown that increased time looking at a screen and the use of social media causes teenagers to become depressed and also get anxiety. One possible reason for this is because teens are having less face to face interaction and begin to feel lonely. People now spend time facetiming or texting instead of actually going to hang out with their friends. The lack of human contact and actually hanging out with friends is leading to teens to start driving later which makes them less independent. They rely on their parents to drive them and can't do things for themselves. Before phones and social media, you could have to call to make a plan and had to do things for yourself. This made kids more independent. Another reason why teens are getting depressed from social media is that they are instantly aware of when they are being excluded. Everyone feels the need to show their "best self" through social media. This can cause others to feel bad about themselves or to become self conscious. Social media will only continue to grow and become more popular as time moves on and we need to be aware of the impacts that it has on our youth and our society today.