Social Media as a Contributing Factor to Mental Health Issues Among Teenagers and Youth
Overview
This paper investigates whether social media is a significant factor contributing to increased mental health issues among teenagers and youth. The author examines the relationship between social media use and depression, anxiety, sleep deprivation, and envy, arguing that excessive reliance on these platforms creates psychological vulnerability and addiction.
What this coursework covers
- Research question establishing the inquiry into social media's role in adolescent mental health
- Literature review citing five key academic sources on social networking and psychological impacts
- Thesis statement focusing on adverse mental health outcomes from high social media prevalence
- Main points discussing addiction, emotional investment, misinformation, and increased suicide rates
- Conclusion synthesizing research findings on depression, sleep loss, and social comparison effects
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Research and Social Media
Question #1: Research Question
Is social media one of the factors that led to the increased rate of mental health issues among teenagers and youth?
Social media platforms have become an influential component in the day to day social human lives. In modern society, most teenagers tend to spend most of their free time visiting social media platforms. Nowadays, almost all young people and teenagers have at least one or more social media accounts from several platforms. In essence, social media has been a positive influence, especially for education and interaction purposes. However, most teenagers have become too vulnerable due to overreliance on social media. This has resulted in several negative impacts, including increased rates of mental health issues.
Question #2: Literature Review
- The role of social networking sites in early adolescents' social lives- Antheunis, Marjolijn L., Alexander P. Schouten, and Emiel Krahmer
- Adolescent social media use and mental health from adolescent and parent perspectives- Barry, C. T., Sidoti, C. L., Briggs, S. M., Reiter, S. R., & Lindsey
- Social media and adolescent mental health: the good, the bad and the ugly- Michelle O'Reilly
- New age technology and social media: adolescent psychosocial implications and the need for protective measures- Shah, J., Das, P., Muthiah, N., & Milanaik, R
- Increases in depressive symptoms, suicide-related outcomes, and suicide rates among US adolescents after 2010 and links to increased new media screen time- Twenge, J. M., Joiner, T. E., Rogers, M. L., & Martin, G.