Volume 7: January 22, 2023
Written/Edited by: Fidha and Mana
Social Media
is one of, if not the biggest influence on teenagers today. Most don’t even realize the actual extent of it, due to tricks of the subconscious and the normalization of it all; however, the statistics do not lie.
You may be wondering, what exactly is the problem here?
The truth is, studies show of drastically harmful effects on mental health—which include (but certainly aren’t limited to)—the connected issues of loneliness, insecurity, and depression.
Loneliness oftentimes results from consuming posts of others having fun instead of engaging in your own face-to-face interactions, insecurity from comparing yourself (whether it be wealth, appearance, etcetera) to influencers’ unrealistic selected images, and depression from bullying or harassment (which is easy as can be for these offenders who hide behind a screen.) Always remember that your self worth is never defined by the number of likes you get, or the amount of times your video is reposted; none of that is within your control, and it won’t dictate or determine who you are as a person.
The Science Behind the Addiction
The usage of phones and technology is a rather addicting concept; the screens endlessly scroll downward, causing the eye to become strained. Algorithms are perfectly made for you to continue to scroll for hours, which generates a reliance on the brain for dopamine, a neurotransmitter in the brain that serves as a “reward center.” Furthermore, the addictive nature of social media can lead to a decrease in sleep due to heightened anxiety and/or increased blue light exposure.
Not only is social media detrimental to the physical health of teens, its effects on mental health are quite prominent. Nearly 60% of parents with teens reported bullying issues in 2019, with 19.2% of that percentage being on social media (Cook, 2022). Besides cyberbullying, comparison tends to be a large issue as well, and teens lend themselves to compare their lives to that of anoth
er. This has proven to increase anxiety, depression, and, generally, decrease mental health in teenagers across the globe, as well as difficulties academically and socially (Azizi et al, 2019).
However, social media addiction is not the fault of teens; it is designed to be this way. To try to completely eradicate the usage of social mediate is incredibly difficult, however, moving to platforms with more positive and intricate posts may be beneficial (such as YouTube--as determined by a UK survey conducted by Statista) and relying on natural sources of dopamine (i.e. spending time outside) more than social media algorithms.
Data:
Subtracting time for homework, teens of America aged 13-17 have been reported to spend almost 9 hours a day online (AACAP, 2018 [1]).
6 in 10 Americans say that social media negatively impacts their mental health (onlinetherapy.com, 2022 [2]).
A 2018 study found that young adults (under 25) who experienced cyberbullying were twice as likely to commit suicide or self-harm (Cook, 2022 [3])
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Sources:
American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry (2018, March). Social Media and Teens. https://www.aacap.org/AACAP/Families_and_Youth/Facts_for_Families/FFF-Guide/Social-Media-and-Teens-100.aspx
Online Therapy (2022, June 7). 6 in 10 Americans say social media negatively affects their mental health. https://www.onlinetherapy.com/6-in-10-americans-say-social-media-negatively-affects-their-mental-health/
Cook, S. (2022, November 14). Cyberbullying statistics and facts for 2023. Comparitech. https://www.comparitech.com/internet-providers/cyberbullying-statistics/.
Bhardwaj, P. (2018, June 1). Half of the teens who think social media has a negative effect on people say it's because of bullying, rumors, or harmed relationships. Business Insider. https://www.businessinsider.com/teens-social-media-effects-mostly-negative-pew-research-2018-6.
Azizi, S. M. et al (2019, May 3). The relationship between social networking addiction and academic performance in Iranian students of Medical Sciences: A cross-sectional study - BMC psychology. BioMed Central. https://bmcpsychology.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40359-019-0305-0.
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