Social Media Impact on Mental Health

It has been noticed that social media has significantly contributed to the mental health and well-being of adolescents. This blog post will discuss three different aspects of how social media affects young adults.

1. Social Comparison

Social comparison plays a significant factor in the decline of adolescents’ mental health. The statistics from Pew Research Center’s survey, “...revealed that 43% of teens felt pressure to only post content that made them look good to others, and 37% felt pressure to post content that will get a lot of likes and comments. 26% of respondents said that they felt worse about their own life because of social media” (“The impact of social media on self-esteem and how to help”). This data highlights the pervasive influence of influencers and celebrities who post idealized versions of themselves online, influencing a large number of teenagers to use social media as a way to present and showcase their ‘perfect’ life instead of utilizing the platform for beneficial reasons (“The impacts of social media on youth self-image”). Teens tend to have the unhealthy habit of determining one’s self-worth based on the amount of attention that a social media post receives, which tremendously impacts their mental health from the constant comparison to others (“The impacts of social media on youth self-image”).  The pressure that teens put themselves through to look ideal online can eventually lead to severe problems that impact their mental health. Samantha Gonzalez and Alyssa Acosta, two clinical therapists at Loma Linda University of Health, revealed that, “...comparing oneself to these distorted representations can lead to feelings of inadequacy, lowered self-esteem, and even body dysmorphia” (“The impacts of social media on youth self-image”). Influencers and celebrities tend to edit fake bodies to fit the beauty standard, which negatively impacts the way that adolescents view their own bodies, eventually leading to the young teens developing body dysmorphia (“Social Media Use and Body Image Disorders”). Teens who struggle with body dysmorphia could experience problems with eating habits, such as bulimia nervosa, anorexia nervosa, binge-eating disorder, and other eating disorders (“Social Media Use and Body Image Disorders”). The intertwining influence of social media and pursuing a ‘perfect’ online image can cause significant effects on the mental health and well-being of teenagers; however, the impact of excess amount of screen time on social media is also a critical factor that contributes to the poor mental health of teenagers.

2. Dangers of cyberbullying

The issue of cyberbullying on social media has impacted many people and has detrimental effects on the mental health of teenagers. A study for the National Center for Biotechnology Information states, “Psychological impacts studies on cyberbullying have shown that its victims frequently struggle with depressive symptoms, anxiety, low self-esteem, antisocial actions, and even suicidal thoughts and intentions…” (“Anxiety, depression, self-esteem, internet addiction and predictors of cyberbullying and Cybervictimization among female nursing University students: A cross sectional study”). Social behavior can be impacted by cyberbullying because adolescents begin to stop socializing with others due to trust issues and the anxiety caused by online bullying (“Effects of cyberbullying”). Because the young victims of cyberbullying feel worthless, sad, and helpless, those adolescents face suicidal thoughts and want to harm themselves (“Effects of cyberbullying). The amount of adolescents who experience cyberbullying and the psychological effects caused by it is alarming. A study at the Pew Research Center discovered, “...that 46% of teens say they experienced cyberbullying when online or on their cell phones” (“Effects of cyberbullying”). Approximately 70% of the teens who have been victims of online bullying state that the social media platforms it took place were  Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram, and Facebook (“Effects of cyberbullying”). Cyberbullies use the direct messages feature of these social media apps and use it as a way to contact and bully teenagers. Cyberbullying can have negative consequences on the mental health of many adolescents; however, the intense pressure of social comparison is another concerning factor of the influence of social media.

3. Addiction of Social Media and Screens

The addiction of screen time and social media usage significantly affects the mental health of teens. Health studies at the University of Los Angeles, California, state that teens use  phones and social media for approximately nine hours daily (“Healthy social media use for children and teens”). Adolescents become addicted to social media content on their phones due to dopamine, which is located in the brain (Goldman). Dopamine plays the role of a chemical messenger in the brain which releases when an individual engages in a pleasurable activity; therefore, dopamine encourages the behavior of engaging on social media constantly that can eventually lead to addiction (Goldman). In addition to the constant use of social media which dopamine causes in the brain, the habit can lead to behavioral problems in teens. A study for the National Center for Biotechnology Information states that, “SMA may affect users’ mental health, leading to anxiety, depression, lower subjective wellbeing, and poor academic performance” (“Risk factors associated with social media addiction: An exploratory study”). Teens are beginning to prioritize social media over their sleep, which can eventually impact their mental health by causing depression, stress, anxiety, and difficulty concentrating (“Effects of social media addiction”). A study proved that two-thirds of adolescents do not get the recommended amount of sleep (seven to nine hours), which can create insomnia and poor academic performance (“The association between self-reported screen time, social media addiction, and sleep among Norwegian University students''). The common problem of the excessive amount of screen time on social media among adolescents has detrimental effects on their mental health and performance.

I hope that this blog post has helped with your understanding of how social media can affect one's mental health and well-being. Please check out improvedcare_ on Instagram to get notified when I post next! Thank you for reading!!!

Works Cited:

“Anxiety, depression, self-esteem, internet addiction and predictors of cyberbullying and Cybervictimization among female nursing University students: A cross sectional study.” (n.d.). PubMed Central (PMC). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10001909/#:~:text=Psychological%20impacts%20studies%20on%20cyberbullying,31%2C32%2C33%5D

“Effects of cyberbullying. (2023, September 7). Social Media Victims Law Center.” https://socialmediavictims.org/cyberbullying/effects/#:~:text=Victims%20of%20cyberbullying%20may%20have,it%20happening%20to%20someone%20else.

“Effects of social media addiction. (2022, October 6). Social Media Victims Law Center.” https://socialmediavictims.org/social-media-addiction/effects/

Goldman, B. (2021, October 28). “Addictive potential of social media, explained.” Scope. https://scopeblog.stanford.edu/2021/10/29/addictive-potential-of-social-media-explained/

“Healthy social media use for children and teens.” (n.d.). UCLA Health: Center for High Quality Health Care Services. https://www.uclahealth.org/news/healthy-social-media-use-for-children-and-teens

“The association between self-reported screen time, social media addiction, and sleep among Norwegian University students.” (n.d.). PubMed Central (PMC). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8716598/

“The impact of social media on self-esteem and how to help.” (n.d.). Hwb. https://hwb.gov.wales/keeping-safe-online/views-from-the-experts/the-impact-of-social-media-on-self-esteem-and-how-to-help

“The impacts of social media on youth self-image.” (2023, May 18). Loma Linda University Health News. https://news.llu.edu/health-wellness/impacts-of-social-media-youth-self-image

“Risk factors associated with social media addiction: An exploratory study.” (n.d.). PubMed Central (PMC).

             https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9046602/

“Social media use and body image disorders: Association between frequency of comparing one’s own physical appearance to that of people being followed on social media and body dissatisfaction and drive for thinness.” (n.d.). PubMed Central (PMC). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8001450/