In today’s society, particularly due to all the technological advancements, devices and social media apps, it is not uncommon for one minor mistake to lead to permanent consequences, ruined reputations and sometimes severe punishments. 

Unfortunately, it seems that teenagers are often the culprits and society almost ‘expects’ them to make mistakes. This generation of teens, Generation Z, has grown up with technology at their fingertips and are often not taught how to utilize the information correctly or make valid points because they are accustomed to results and/or instant gratification.

Over the past few years, there have been many examples of people, especially teens, exposing unnecessary information on social media or other technological platforms. Recently, a high school freshman posted information on a “supposedly” private site, but the post went viral almost immediately.

“Beyond everything, what I regret the most is having the whole school know what I did and said without being able to take down the post or do anything about it. Although, I deleted the post, I realized it will never go away and will permanently affect me because of the consequences that I dealt with and continue to deal with,” the freshman student said.

There is no denying that it is human nature to make mistakes and it depends on how these mistakes are rectified and if a lesson is learned from that mistake.

According to the University of Rochester Medical Center, a teenagers brain is not fully developed until 25-years of age. And, according to the same study, the connections in a teen’s brain between the emotional part of the brain and the decision-making center are still developing.

So overall, it’s important for teens to be careful as to how they portray themselves online or in other public forums because what is private could become public with an accidental push of the button.

“Social media is good to allow people to express their opinions, but on the flip side social media is negative for people who abuse it,” social studies teacher Mr. Hahn said. “People who post on social media need to be aware that their comments are public worldwide and that they need to understand the consequences of their words and how their statements/opinions can be interpreted both positively and negatively.”