Persuasive Essay Example: Social Media Should Be Limited

Social media has become a part of most people's day to day lives. It is incorporated one way or another most days. Whether it is to look at the latest news or to reconnect with old friends, social media is used constantly. Social media is now a preferable way to socialize rather than socializing by physical human interactions for some people. However, social media is used excessively. Not only is it used excessively, but more people are also spending less time together with their friends and loved ones, making it a problem. Therefore, with the excessive use of social media, the consequences start trailing in. Social media is affecting an amount of people tremendously. Constant accessibility to social media is more valued than human interactions and has contributed to negative mental health, loneliness, and addiction.  

Instead of socializing face to face many people socialize through phones, leading to isolation and less human interactions.  In “Tribe” by Sebastian Junger it is stated that “Financial independence can lead to isolation, and isolation can put people at a greatly increased risk of depression and suicide” (21). A person with financial independence will not have to rely on others for help and resources and as a result they will become isolated with less human interactions or resources. In the aspect of social media, it can now be relied on to socialize rather than relying on other people to socialize face to face. The more people freely access social media the less human interactions they will encounter leading to isolation and then potentially suicide. In “Have Smartphones Destroyed a Generation?” it is revealed that “The number of teens who get together with their friends nearly every day dropped by more than 40 percent from 200 to 2015; the decline has been especially steep recently” (Twenge 570). This proves that most people have fewer human interactions in their life because they prefer to socialize by accessing social media rather than hanging out with their loved ones. Consequently, the more social media is used the more isolation is likely to happen. To add, according to Jean M. Twenge, “As teens have started spending less time together, they have become less likely to kill one another, and more likely to kill themselves” (572). Suicide is a consequence of social media because people are isolated and feel alone and are more likely to kill themselves since no one else is around them.  

Social media is easily accessible and addictive, causing some people to use it even though it is harming their mental health. If social media is harming the mental health of some people, then it should be limited but it isn't. In the article, “Have Smartphones Destroyed a Generation?” the author states, “The Millennials grew up with the web as well, but it wasn’t ever present in their lives, at hand at all times, day and night” (Twenge 596). Social media is easily accessible for various people because it is always to hand, according to Jean M. Twenge. Growing up with a phone or social media in your hand is a negative thing because it allows users to access it easily. Screen time or screen activity are the number of hours spent on phones as most people may know. Jean M. Twenge continues to mention that “All screen activities are linked to less happiness, and all nonscreen activities are linked to more happiness. Eight-graders who spend 10 or more hours a week on social media are 56 percent more likely to say they are unhappy than those who devote less time to social media” (571). Since social media is easily accessible many people are going to spend lots of hours browsing through the web. The tremendously long hours of screen time itself suggests that social media is addicting. The more people scroll through their feed the more unhappy they feel. However, why is social media still accessed even though it is making various people unhappy? It is still accessed because it is addicting. 

Social media has caused a loss of belonging contributing to loneliness. For example, in “Have Smartphones Destroyed a Generation?” the author reports that “Today's teens may go to fewer parties and spend less time together in person, but when they do congregate, they document their hangouts relentlessly- on Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook. Those not invited to come along are keenly aware of it” (Twenge 572). This puts forth that documenting your activities online causes other people to feel left out or alone. The ones not invited then feel lonely causing a loss of belongingness. To add “Teens who visit social networking sites everyday but see their friends in person less frequently are the most likely to agree with the statements “A lot of times I feel lonely, “I often feel left out of things,” and “I often wish I had more good friends” (Twenge 572). In this situation, teens feel alone and left out of things because they see what is portrayed online and want it. Even though the teens feel alone they continue to see their friends less and still use social media even more. Furthermore, in “Tribe” Junger explains that “The findings are in keeping with something called self-determination theory, which holds that human beings need three basic things in order to be content: they need to feel competent at what they do; they need to feel authentic in their lives; and they need to feel connected to others” (21-22). Loneliness from social media comes from not being connected to others in their lives. Although many people are surrounded by loved ones, they still feel lonely because social media makes some people not be content with what they have. Since a portion of people want what they see online they feel unhappy because the three basic things in order to be content are not achieved.  

Social media is valued more than human interactions and it can lead to mental health. According to Jean M. Twenge “The biggest difference between the Millennials and their predecessors was in how they viewed the world; teens today differ from the Millennials not just in their views but in how they spend their time” (568). Jean M. Twenge agrees that the views of people have changed and especially in how they spend their time. Many more people now value social media more than hanging out with their friends. They prefer to spend their time on their phones rather than socializing face to face. In “Tribe” the author also states that “Bluntly put, modern society seems to emphasize extrinsic values over intrinsic ones, and as a result, mental health issues refuse to decline with growing wealth” (22). Social media is considered an extrinsic value because it is more about the status, beauty, and money. Intrinsic values on the other hand are what many people need to be content. It is clear that a handful of people would rather spend time on social media than spend time with friends because hanging out isn't as common anymore. So many people value their social media status over what you need in order to be happy. When intrinsic values aren't met because of the access of social media, mental health starts trailing in because one does not feel content.  

In conclusion, constant accessibility to social media is more valued than human interactions and has contributed to negative mental health, loneliness, and addiction. Social media is easy to access because for the most part it is always small and in most people's hands. Since its easily accessible it is also fairly easy to scroll on social media for hours making it addicting. However, as people scroll for hours increasing screen activity, mental health is also increasing in different ways. From social media any person can potentially start to feel depressed, unhappy, isolated, and lonely. Even though social media is harmful to mental health it is still accessed because it is not only addicting but also because it is valued more than face to face interactions with loved ones. Therefore, social media should be limited because if continued to be used excessively less and less human interactions will be present in the future. If fewer human interactions happen then more and more people will be isolated contributing to suicide or a negative mental health in general. If social media is not limited some people will also continue to value extrinsic values over intrinsic values when they should not because intrinsic values are needed. Intrinsic values are needed to be happy and if social media continues to be used excessively many more people will be depressed and alone and once again only care about status, money, and beauty.