The Impact of Social Media on Youth Mental Health Essay Example

Teenage mental health is becoming increasingly vulnerable to the effects of social media. Teenagers' use of digital communications makes them more vulnerable to peer pressure, cyberbullying, and sexting. Most teens worry about keeping up with everything online when they have a large circle of digital friends, which can cause stress and anxiety. Researchers are just beginning to establish a link between social media and depression. Cyberbullying, slut-shaming, and other rude behaviors online make it easy to see how toxic social media can be for many teens.

When teens use social media late at night, they start to lose sleep. According to research, excessive screen use has been linked to the development of ADHD symptoms such as difficulty concentrating and hyperactivity. Although jealousy and envy are normal emotions, comparing yourself to your peers can damage a teen's brain. As a result, lack of sleep can lead to mood swings, lower grades, lack of exercise, and overeating, and worsen existing issues like depression, anxiety, and energy-deficit hyperactivity disorder. attention (ADHD). Social media is a great way to stay in touch with friends and family, but it is different from in-person communication. For example, teens cannot see or hear a person's facial expressions or tone of voice online. Teenagers spend so much time updating their social media status that they forget to interact with those around them. Teenagers who emphasize social media will often focus on emphasizing how much fun they have posting videos and pictures rather than having fun. Playing with others, reading books, pursuing a hobby, etc. can negatively affect their relationships and life satisfaction may be affected. Teenage mental health can be affected by the effects of social media, which can lead to depression, anxiety, envy, and antisocial behavior. These effects are discussed in more detail below. People who used more than seven social media platforms had more than three times the risk of depression, according to a study published in Computers in Human Behavior found here. Patton, D.U., Eschmann, R.D., Elsaesser, C., and Bocanegra, E. (2016). Sticks, stones, and Facebook accounts: What do violent social workers know about social media and urban gang violence in Chicago? [online] Computers in Human Behavior, 65, pp. 591–600.10.116/j.chb.2016.05.052.

The use of social media can amplify symptoms related to depression, such as a decrease in interpersonal activity and loneliness. Many other studies have found Heavy social media use has been linked to symptoms of depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem, especially among young people. Many teens are emotionally invested in their social media accounts. According to some research, the larger a teenager's circle of online friends, the more anxious they are to follow everything that happens online. Teenagers are under pressure to submit great photos and well-written posts, which can create a lot of anxiety. A UK study published in the Journal of Youth Studies is also available here. Levenson, J.C., Shensa, A., Sidani, JE, Colditz, J.B., & Primack, BA (2017). Bedtime Social Media Use and Sleep Disorders Among Young Adults in the United States: A Nationally Representative Study. Sleeping, 40 (9). doi:10.1093/sleep/zsx113

surveyed 900 teenagers between the ages of 12 and 15 about the impact of social media on their sleep. As a result, this sleep loss can lead to moodiness, lower grades, lack of exercise, and overeating, as well as exacerbating existing problems such as depression, anxiety, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Jealousy and envy can wreak havoc on teen brains when they stop confronting their peers. Some teenagers, especially self-aware ones, are attacked because they are jealous of the target's clothes, body, boyfriend, success, or any number of other factors. It can contribute to sadness, loneliness, anger, and a host of other issues. As a result, young people risk having superficial or inauthentic relationships.

Relationships can suffer. Teenagers who enjoy social media are more likely to focus on the photos they take to show how much fun they are having. This is compared to the actual fun they are having. As evidenced by the data presented here and the information available online and in-person, social media has a significant impact on the mental health of adolescents. Social media can cause depression, fear, envy, and antisocial behavior, causing friends, families, and acquaintances to split up and making it difficult to distinguish reality from fantasy. The following question remains unanswered: What can you do to prevent social media from negatively affecting your mental health?