New Media and Social Health: An Empirical Analysis of Trends, Risk and Opportunities A Social Health Working paper, No. 1, December, 2012 Victor Igharo Overview Information technology social impacts are enormous; the increasing dependence on the internet and social media for personal interaction and socialization can be attributed to the desire to meet developmental needs associated with youthful and adolescent stages of life, peer and family pressures, as well as poor social and coping skills. With about 4.4 hours of daily leisure time is spent on some form of media such as PCs, laptops, TVs, tablets and smart phones, the impacts of these media is unimaginable. Some of the major issues associated with these media bother on sexual and psychosocial health. Such phenomena such as “sexting” and “cyberbullying” associated mostly with internet and social media use can precipitate anxiety, emotional and social distress, and depression leading to adolescent misdemeanor, rape and sexual abuse. They also increase individual’s susceptibility to learning distractions, unsafe sexual practices, drug use, and mental health deterioration. Furthermore, constant exposure to violent and sexual contents in social media sites and internet can result in angry thoughts and feelings, self‐destructive behaviors, less empathy, increased fear, and fewer helping behaviors. The loss of humanism and poor attitude to work and people is implicated as some of the major causes of family violence, school shootouts, homicides and emotional suicides. The social media and the culture it creates have become a breeding ground for narcissism, vain, self‐obsessed and pervasive young generation. In terms of illicit drug control, illicit drug entrepreneurs constantly explore information technology competencies to obtain raw materials (precursor chemicals), monitor market trends, market some of their substance of trade and launder drug related profits. Mobile SIM cards also act as a repository for customer registry and transactions. Technology impacts is not all about woes and pitfalls, the internet, social media and mobile telephones offer tremendous opportunities for building friendships and increasing communications and collaborations. These can be useful tools for reinforcing positive values in individuals, schools, neighborhoods and society in general. They can foster information dissemination, teaching and learning, and are constantly used to obtain reviews and feedback from target group on topical issues and discussions. They also offer