Kymberlee Scott

Kymberlee Scott – North Carolina
Interview by Inspiring Teens
Nomination and Photography by
​Steve Jordan Sports Photography
Issue 40 of Inspiring Teens Magazine
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​The Nomination: Kymberlee Scott is an outgoing, fun living teen with one of the most bubbling personalities I even photographed and has a smile to match.

Photography by Steve Jordan Sports Photography

What do you feel are the positive and negative effects of social media in a teen's life?
On the positive side of effects of social media, I think social media can help teens- explore their individualism and creativity, develop social and communication skills, and can give others inspiration. The negative effects of social media can sometimes out way the positive, one way being the high standards on how you look, teens have unrealistic ideals of how they think they need to look because of the “standards” set by famous social media influencers, which can lead to low self-esteem and low self-confidence.

​How can teens use social media in more of a positive light?
Just by using social media to build up others and friends can help have a positive impact. People should support each other and treat each other with respect; this should also be true online. Build one another up, don't tear each other down.

Photography by Steve Jordan Sports Photography

​What are some practices you use to be more confident? Can you give us an example?
Confidence is ultimately about being comfortable in a wide variety of situations that would make most people feel uncomfortable. For me I tend to try and stretch of my comfort zone little by little. It doesn’t have to be anything big, it could be anything like trying out a new style or look or approaching a new person from school and talking to them.

How should one avoid the pitfalls that one can fall into when on social media?
Social media should feel like a fun experience, not one that contributes to negative thoughts and feelings. If the latter is the case then I think increasing face-to-face time with trusted friends that are good influences, and minimizing time scrolling online can actually help avoid the pitfalls of social media.

Photography by Steve Jordan Sports Photography

What would you say is the biggest challenge for teens your age and how can they overcome it?
I would say peer pressure is the biggest challenge, since teens our age are starting to become more independent, our peers naturally play a greater role in our life. Since we have school and other activities, we spend more of our time with peers than we do with your parents and siblings. And more often than not we become close friends with some of our peers and we tend to become influenced by those peers because we want to fit in, do what others are doing, or have what others have. More often than not peer pressure can lead us into difficult situations where you don’t know what to do.
My advice for overcoming peer pressure is to listen to your gut. If you feel uncomfortable, even if your friends seem to be ok with what's going on, it means that something about the situation is wrong for you. This kind of decision-making is part of becoming self-reliant and learning more about who you are.

Look for Kymberlee in issue 40 of Inspiring Teens Magazine!

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click here for more information on issue 40

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