It is common to hear all the reasons why social media is bad. However, social media can have a powerful effect, and some have harnessed that power for good.
Sarah Coyne, a BYU School of Family Life professor, researched the positive outcomes of social media on youth.
“Most research has looked at the impact of social media on negative outcomes like depression or anxiety, but we just completed a study where we looked at social media on positive outcomes,” Coyne said.
Coyne found that the most positive effects come when youth use social media to connect with and help others.
“All of those positive ways were related to positive youth outcomes like gratitude, pro-social behavior, perseverance, forgiveness,” she said.
Coyne suggested certain steps to help mitigate negativity in social media use, such as parents having conversations with their children about media, reaching out for help and developing critical thinking patterns.
“It really depends on the way you're using it,” Coyne said.
Content creator Tautai Fano, better known as Elder TikTok, said he uses media to entertain, educate and to be a voice for others.
“It’s such a modern tool that we have," Fano said. "It's part of my personal testimony that we have to utilize social media for good."
Fano said he's well aware of the negativity in the world of social media, but finds ways to overcome pitfalls like comparison and pride.
Fano said that having thick skin and knowing his purpose have helped him keep social media positive.
"They're just words. What's that old saying? It's sticks and stones may break my bones, right? But then these words, they're just words," Fano said.
BYU student Leah Andersen said she has seen the negatives and positives of social media, but she focuses on using it for good by seeking uplifting content.
"I try to just avoid the time that I spend on social media, or if I’m on social media, I have, like, a purpose,” Andersen said.
Fano never imagined creating such a large following from something that originally started as just a hobby.
"Amongst all the negative things that come from it, the positive ones, the one positive out of the 99 negative is the reason I keep going."
Sticks, stones and negativity didn’t break Elder TikTok, and Coyne’s research suggested that social media doesn't have to be a negative experience for users either.