The Impact of Social Media on Adolescents' Mental Health

The Impact of Social Media on

Adolescents’ Mental Health

By: Adrianna Nystedt

Image by: Jason Howie (flickr) Link: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ (no changes made)

Social media is woven into the fabric of adolescents’ daily lives

impacting their mental health. Image by: Nan Palmero (flickr) Link: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ (no changes made)

“21st-century news

consumers use multiple platforms to consume news, jumping from one technology to another.”

Today’s adolescents are being constantly bombarded with social media as

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“Daily overuse of media and technology has a negative effect on the health of all children, preteens, and teenagers by making them more prone to anxiety, depression, and other psychological disorders, as well as making them more susceptible to future health problems.”

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“Heavy social media users are almost three times more likely to be

depressed than occasional users.”

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“Researchers have proposed a new phenomenon called “Facebook depression,” defined as depression that develops when preteens and teens spend a great deal of time on social media sites, such as Facebook, and then begin to exhibit classic symptoms of depression.”

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“Teens who are on social media for more than two hours a day…. report poor self-rated mental health, psychological distress, suicidal ideation or unmet need for mental health support.”


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“What we see on social media are heavily sanitized

and filtered versions of reality.”

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Many adolescents begin to

compare themselves to the filtered and edited versions of others on social media

decreasing their self esteem and putting them at risk for developing depression.

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“21% of teen social media users report feeling worse about their own life because of what they see from other friends on social media”

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Social media is an OPEN platform that allows individuals to say whatever

they want.


“In worst case scenarios, active use can lead to

ridicule or attack, rather than

compliments or praise.”

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“One cruel remark…can feel devastating in front of a big audiences and anxiety abounds over pressure to maintain gleaming reputations.”


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“The effects of cyberbullying can be profound including depression, anxiety, isolation and in some cases suicide.”

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Adolescents today are constantly attached to their devices

concerned that they will miss something important.

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“A closer look at the brain reward pathways activated by Facebook use

were similar to those in people who are addicted to cocaine.”

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Adolescents constant attachment to social media is decreasing the amount of exercise many obtain

.. increasing their risk of developing poor mental health.


“The teenage years can be a time of increased vulnerability to depression and

anxiety, and sleeping poorly may contribute to the risk of these

conditions.”

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“Teens are so emotionally invested in social media that a fifth will wake up at night and log on” 10


Social media is a powerful force capable of negatively impacting today’s generation of

adolescents if not used wisely.

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Works Cited:

1. Blaszczak-Boxe, Agata. “Social Media use in Teens Linked to poor Sleep, Anxiety.” Live Science 11

Sept. 2015: 10 pars. 16 Oct. 2016. <http://www.livescience.com/52148-social-media-teen-sleep-

anxiety.html>.

2. Caba, Justin. “The Teenage Brain On Social Media: Facebook And Instagram ‘Likes’ Trigger

Same Reward System As Eating Chocolate.” Medical Daily 1 June. 2016: 11 pars. 14 Oct. 2016.

<http://www.medicaldaily.com/teenage-brain-social-media-facebook-instagram-likes-eating-

chocolate-388333>.

3. Kang, Cecilia. “Third of all teens who meet strangers online are meeting them in person, too.” The

Washington Post 6 Aug. 2015: 27 pars. 15 Oct. 2016.<https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/

the- switch/wp/2015/08/06/why-kids-are-meeting-more-strangers-online-than-ever-before/>.

4. Lenhart, Amanda. “Teens, Technology and Friendships.” Pew Research Center 6 Aug. 2015: 25

pars. 15 Oct. 2016.<http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/08/06/teens-technology-and-friendships/>.

5. O’Keeffe, Gwenn, et al. “The Impact of Social Media on Children, Adolescents, and Families.”

Pediatrics 127.4 (April 2011): 22 pars. 16 Oct. 2016. <http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/

content/127/4/800>.

6. Payne, Elizabeth. “Teens’ Poor Mental Health Linked to Social Media Use.” The Ottawa Citizen 8

Aug. 2015: 29 pars. 14 Oct. 2016.<http://search.proquest.com.proxy.queensu.ca/docview/

1702249271?accountid=6180>.

7. Richards, Deborah, et al. “Impact of social media on the health of children and young people.”

Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health 51.12 (November 2015): 1152-1157. 16 Oct. 2016.

<http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com.proxy.queensu.ca/doi/10.1111/jpc.13023/full>.

8. Rosengard, Dana, et al. “Students and Social News: How College Students Share News Through

Social Media.” Electronic News 8.2 (June 2014): 120-137. 16 Oct. 2016. < http://

enx.sagepub.com.proxy.queensu.ca/content/8/2/120>.

9. Tartari, Elda. “Benefits and Risks of Children and Adolescents using Social Media.” European

Scientific Journal 11.13 (May 2015): 321-332. 15 Oct. 2016. <http://eujournal.org/index.php/esj/

article/view/5654>.

10. Udorie, June. “Social Media is Harming the Mental Health of Teenagers. The State has to Act.”

theguardian 16 Sept. 2015: 7 pars. 16 Oct. 2016.<https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/

2015/sep/16/social-media-mental-health-teenagers-government-pshe-lessons>.

11. Whitley, Robert. “Here’s Why Social Media Harms Your Teen’s Mental Health.” HuffPost 14 Sept.

2016: 17 pars. 15 Oct. 2016. <http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/robertwhitley/social-media-mental-

health_b_11893462.html>.

Education

The Impact of Social Media on Adolescents' Mental Health