Julia Ruffolo 1

Two six letter words, one simple phrase: mental health. It is something that can be

intense and complicated, but at the same time be so simple. Everyone knows what it is, but no

one wants to talk about it and everyone seems to shy away when the topic is brought to a

conversation. Heads turn the other way when they hear the words, but why? The influence that

mental health has on a person is astronomical. It affects the everyday lives of everyone – no

matter the age. Why is humanity hiding away from the realities of mental health? Social media

also has a huge impact on everyone’s lives – especially teenagers. It has become like a

completely separate universe where people can hide their feelings behind a screen or post them

for the world to see. These two impactful aspects of teenagers’ lives have a very strong

correlation, but what is it? So, the real question is, in the past few years, how has social media

influenced teenagers' mental health? The answer to this thought-provoking question lies within

the information found in documents, studies, documentaries, and books regarding teenagers’

lives especially on the broad topics of mental health, social media, and their connection. In the

past few years, social media has influenced teenagers' mental health in a more negative than

positive way.

To start off, it is important to know, “What really is mental health?” As defined by

MentalHealth.gov, “Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being.

It affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to

others, and make choices.” (MentalHealth.Gov). Based off of that quotation, it is evident how

relevant mental health is and can be in someone’s life. Not only does it include the ranges of

emotions a person might exude, but it also deals with the mental struggles in everyday life and

the social aspects as well. Along with taking care of those three different aspects, mental health

affects the way people interact with one another and the way people act on their own. Thinking,
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feeling, and acting (or doing) are very relevant aspects to any relationships with another person

and with yourself. Thinking allows for one to reflect, come up with new ideas or alternate

solutions, and it contains thoughts regarding anything and everything. Expressing feelings is part

of the more emotional and empathetic side of a relationship. The ability to feel is important for

someone to recognize emotions like happiness, sadness, fear, and many others. Doing or acting is

when a person finally takes action and does something. From those three elements alone, it is

easy to see how prevalent mental health is everyday in people’s lives. Something to keep in mind

about mental health is that it is there for a lifetime. No matter what age someone is at, that

person’s mental health is present and is important in that person’s life. Mental health can be

affected by several outside issues that can alter thinking, mood, behavior, and more. The

alternative issues listed by MentalHealth.gov are, “biological factors, such as genes or brain

chemistry; life experiences, such as trauma or abuse, and a family history of mental health

problems (MentalHealth.Gov). The problems occurring within people who struggle with mental

health are very common today, and it is important for those people to realize that they are not

alone. A few of the most common mental health crises are depression, anxiety, an eating disorder

of some sort (bulimia, anorexia, binge eating, pica, rumination, etc.), and suicide. The final basic

bit of knowledge regarding mental health is that there is help available, whether someone needs

some medication or someone to talk to, there is always someone willing to be a support system

for someone in need.

Another incredibly important piece of information on the topic of how social media

affects mental health is regarding to social media. What is social media and why is it so

appealing? How does social media catch our attention and zap our time? Why do humans

become addicted to social media, and how can they stop that addiction? A clear definition of
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social media is, “Social media refers to websites and applications that are designed to allow

people to share content quickly, efficiently, and in real-time” (thebalancesmb.com). It is a useful

tool enabling people to compose and publish content. From that quotation the key word is tool.

Social media is a tool, but it is not always used that way. It can be used in many positive ways,

such as networking, sharing life updates with family, sharing breaking news, learning about

certain products/restaurants/vacation spots, and promoting different brands; but it can also be

used in several harmful ways, such as gossiping and spreading rumors, cyber bullying,

comparing body images, and judging others for how many “likes” or “retweets” they receive.

Each app/program of social media has a specific and unique purpose. Social media is spread

across four main categories: Review Networks, Discussion Networks, Social Networks, and

Media Networks. Trip Advisor and Yelp help provide useful reviews for users which is very

helpful for someone who is considering going to a certain place or buying a specific product.

Through review networks, there is not too much freedom to create a negative source of energy

(except bad reviews) because it is strictly for reviews. Discussion networks (ex: Reddit) are for

people to post long and in-depth discussions with one another. The posts are usually very

detailed and have a purpose for the discussion. Something Reddit does to minimize the

spammers, rude users, and hate, they have a system where “karma” points determine whether or

not their post can be seen by many. The next category is social networks which specialize in

sharing ideas and connecting with other users who share similar tastes and interests. These

platforms include apps like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Also, they allow for more creative

freedom with initial posts which means there is a higher risk for negative content and hatred

towards others, but they really promote networking and keeping a connection with family and

friends. The final category of social media is media networks. Some people might consider this
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similar to social networks, but social networks allow users to share raw ideas and connect with

one another while media networks focus on distributing visual content. A few examples are

Instagram and YouTube. The media networks and social networks allow other users to “like”

and “dislike” or even “retweet,” “repost,” and “reshare”. Along with those little icons, users can

comment on the pictures and videos and it stays on the page for all of the viewers and the creator

to see. This is where things tend to turn negative with hateful comments, and of users being

jealous of other users’ successes. These can lead to more negative effects which will be talked

about and further discussed later in this paper.

Now that the background is set for social media, it is important to know the

benefits and harms that social media can have on a person. Social media is everywhere. It can be

carried on a small device that is kept in someone’s hand or pocket and can be used at any time.

For many Gen Z’s and young adults, social media is a major aspect of everyone’s daily lives. It

is rare to be a teenager and have no form of social media ranging from Snapchat and Instagram

to Twitter and TikTok, and even Facebook and VSCO. Over half of the entire United States

population consistently use some form of social media. There are a plethora of benefits that come

from using social media. Some of these include that, “Social media allows teens to create online

identities, communicate with others and build social networks. These networks can provide teens

with valuable support, especially helping those who experience exclusion or have disabilities or

chronic illnesses” (Teens and Social Media Use: What's the Impact?). Additionally, social media

is known for being constant source of entertainment and a place open to creativity and self-

expression of any sorts. Another useful benefit of social media for teens is they are exposed to

current events, healthy and unhealthy habits, and through the online platforms, they are able to

talk to people from all over the globe. In some cases, these benefits can help teens relax, find
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humor in something, and it might even help some make better choices and avoid depression. On

the flip side, social media definitely can negatively impact teens. A few of the harms of social

media for teens include distracting them during conversations with others, disrupting their

typical sleep schedules and cutting into their sleep time, distracting them from accomplishing

goals and tasks, being able to quickly spread rumors, planting fake ideas to sparking jealously,

and multiplying the peer pressure to participate in a certain activity or make a certain decision.

There are several studies that study why there are so many harms coming from social

media, what these harms might be stemming from, and how these harms might be connected to

mental health. “The risks might be related to how much social media teens use” (Teens and

Social Media Use: What's the Impact?). Two studies on teenagers, both from 2019, support that

claim. The first study had more than 6,500 12-15 year old participants from the United States,

and it was discovered that, “those who spent more than three hours a day using social media

might be at a heightened risk for mental health problems” (Teens and Social Media Use: What's

the Impact?). The second study from 2019 which included over 12,000 young teenaged

participants in England discovered that, “using social media more than three times a day

predicted poor mental health and well-being in teens” (Teens and Social Media Use: What's the

Impact?). A study that was conducted in 2016 that consisted of more than 450 teens found from

their testing and research that a greater social media use, nighttime usage, and emotional

connection are all linked to bad sleep quality and higher levels stress and mental illnesses. High

use levels of these social media platforms are linked to anxiety and depression symptoms.

Another study from 2015 studied if the way social media is being used changes the impact on a

person’s mental health, and the results showed the connection between feedback seeking teens

on their cellphones with depressive habits. A smaller study that took place in 2013 discovered
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that teens who use social media less had a decline in the overall contentedness of their life

whereas the teens using social media to communicate or to post their own content did not

experience these declines in overall satisfaction. The downside of posting original content,

especially super personal content, is that those people are at a higher risk of being bullied,

harassed, or even blackmailed. There was another study that occurred in the Fall of 2015

regarding a more specific category – woman college students. This study had results that stated,

“(the) Results demonstrated that the number of social media sites visited was a significant

predictor of body dissatisfaction while time spent using social media was not. The number of

sites visited and time spent on social media were both significant predictors of general negative

affect, sadness, and guilt” (Bennett). These results display that there is a negative correlation

between body dissatisfaction and social media. An additional study that occurred was a British

study in 2018. This study connected social media usage to disrupted sleep schedules which was

easy to associate with mental illnesses like depression and other negative effects like a poor

mental performance in school and poor physical performances in sports. Later on in this study it

talks about what the researchers who performed the study know now about anxiety and

depression. That information is that the mind and the gut have a connection resulting in negative

physical side effects.

This past year, in Argentina, a study occurred to measure the psychological responses

during the COVID-19 pandemic. They did this because they wanted to see the responses during a

crisis, and the COVID-19 pandemic is a crisis. What was discovered through this study is that

the pandemic allowed people worldwide to use social media as a place to share their thoughts

and worries about everything happening in the world at the time. By other people seeing these

posts (whether they were true or not), reacting to them, and spreading the messages posted, it led
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to some misconceptions. The study found out that interacting with social media during a time of

crisis has links to increased anxiety, stress, and depression. This was especially true during the

first few months of the pandemic because people were uncertain, confused, and scared about

what was happening and they wanted to know. When people are scared, uncertain, and confused

they become more vulnerable and become more susceptible to believing different pieces of

information posted on any type of public platform. (Tommasel).

People using social media typically have a higher chance of mental or physical illnesses a

due to their use of social media no matter the amount. The more someone uses social media, the

higher the risk they have to experiencing these feelings. In order to increase confidence and the

feeling of a community, people post content hoping to gain various forms of positive feedback.

“Social media has a reinforcing nature. Using it activates the brain’s reward center by releasing

dopamine, a “feel-good chemical” linked to pleasurable activities such as sex, food, and social

interaction” (Sperling). These addictive algorithms release a feeling of happiness and greatness

while being on the screen that when people get off of it, they tend to feel a little sadder. The

more people use social media, the more dopamine is released, and the more someone becomes

addicted to their phone screen and the world of social media.

Another big harmful element that social media can create and magnify is the “fear of

missing out,” otherwise known as FOMO. The fear of missing out is created when someone

posts something (it can be of a group of friends, a selfie in a cool location, good looking food,

the beach, or anything at all that seems fun), and someone else sees this post and gets sad on the

inside because they are missing out of the fun that is occurring wherever the picture or video was

posted. This can create FOMO and also some sadness – especially if the person was not invited

to the gathering. Also, the fear of missing out is created around social media as a whole. Since
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the majority of the teenage population uses social media, those who do not use social media

might feel left out, and therefore “peer pressured” into creating an account on whatever social

media platform it is. They are afraid to miss out on any of the fun activities planned, the funny

posts, and the hype of the apps. The stress behind FOMO and FOMO itself can create feelings of

anxiety and depression or ones similar to it. “Missing experiences create anxiety and depression.

When people look online and see they’re excluded from an activity, it can affect thoughts and

feelings, and can affect them physically” (Sperling).

To rebuke the negative feelings from social media bullies and slim down the chances of

negative comments and bullying happening, some people tend to focus on boosting their self-

esteem and work on being independent within their communities. They achieve this by posting

positive content in order to have others respond with positivity. While desiring for the positive

comments, people tend to check their accounts more and more to see how their content/post is

doing which can become very mentally draining and disappointing if the post is not doing “as

well” as the creator would like it to be doing. Another downside of posting content and having

expectations is when comparisons come into the picture. While scrolling on social media, people

tend to make comparisons of themselves versus those on their screen. These users want to have

validity on the internet showing them they matter which can replace an in-person connection.

The people who post this content start getting negative thoughts and feelings towards their post,

which they wanted to be a positive post. This is because of internal and external pressures they

created for themselves by setting expectations and comparing their post to another person’s post.

During this time, it becomes even more unhealthy for people, and the depression and anxiety can

hit extremely hard.

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So, after all of this information consisting of studies, basic and in-depth information, and

researched websites, how do we, as teenaged human beings stop social media from impacting

our lives in a negative way? The first way people can stop this impact is by distracting yourself

from the distraction. Social media is a distraction and people usually do not care or are not

motivated enough to change their social media use by someone telling them to stop or that it is

bad for them. It is much easier, lasting, and just better overall for an individual to figure out what

their specific limits are, because everyone has a different limit. The individual should monitor

themselves or have someone monitor them by seeing how much social media impacts their

behavior. Once that little experiment is done, then they can change their usage time to within

their safe and not harmful range. Something that most phones have that is extremely helpful for

people trying to limit their screen time, especially their social media screen time, is a feature

called Screen Time. Screen Time basically limits how much a person is allowed on a certain app

or a certain collection of apps. When the limit is reached for the day, a little bubble appears that

says something like, “you have reached your screen time,” then it gives the options of 1) closing

out of the app 2) letting the user to be on the app for 1 more minute 3) letting the user to be on

the app for 15 more minutes and 4) turning off the reminder for the day. Even if the person

chooses to turn off the reminder for the day, they still recognized that they reached their Screen

Time “limit” and are more conscientious of it. The main point of Screen Time is to set ground

rules to monitor a person’s mood and create a healthy balance of social media in one’s life while

maximize the happiness of someone. Another helpful way to minimize sadness, depression, and

anxiety is by turning the phone/electronic device and all social media platforms off when it is

time to go to bed. As mentioned above, social media usage cuts into the daily sleep schedule

which can alter one’s mood. By leaving the phone in a different room or in a place unable to
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reach from one’s bed, it gives someone more rest and a better way to keeping one’s sleep

schedule structured.

Fig. 1. This chart provides percentages of the highest motivations that Gen Z social

media users have for considering quitting social media (Average Time Spent Daily on Social

Media (Latest 2020 Data)).

Social media still has some very concerning aspects that can, will, and do affect the

mental health of teens all around the world. Since in the past few years, social media has

influenced teenagers' mental health in a more negative than positive way, it is important to

find a healthy balance that keeps staying positive and avoiding the negative impacts. The way

to solve the issues created from social media depends on the person, but a common source of

happiness and more body positivity is by spending less time on social media and more time

living life face to face. The two small adjustments of monitoring/limiting screen time and leaving
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the devices with social media in a separate room or harder to reach place at night will help

improve the sleep schedule and overall mood of a person and ultimately reduce the negative

effects that social media can cause on the broad subject of mental health.
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Works Cited

“Average Time Spent Daily on Social Media (Latest 2020 Data).” BroadbandSearch.net, 2021,

www.broadbandsearch.net/blog/average-daily-time-on-social-media.

Bennett, Brooke L., et al. “Examining the Impact of Social Media on Mood and Body

Dissatisfaction Using Ecological Momentary Assessment.” Journal of American College

Health, vol. 68, no. 5, July 2020, pp. 502–508. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?

direct=true&db=s3h&AN=144545034&site=eds-live.

Sperling, Jacqueline. “The Social Dilemma: Social Media and Your Mental Health.” Here's How

Social Media Affects Your Mental Health | McLean Hospital, McLean Hospital, 10 Feb.

2021, www.mcleanhospital.org/essential/it-or-not-social-medias-affecting-your-mental-

health.

Teens and Social Media Use: What's The Impact?". Mayo Clinic, 2021,

https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/tween-and-teen-health/in-depth/teens-and-social-

media-use/art-20474437?scrlybrkr=36fa2cef. Accessed 7 Mar 2021.

Tommasel, Antonela, et al. Tracking the Evolution of Crisis Processes and Mental Health on Social

Media during the COVID-19 Pandemic. 2020. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?

direct=true&db=edsarx&AN=edsarx.2011.11024&site=eds-live.

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. “What Is Mental Health?” What Is Mental

Health? | MentalHealth.gov, 28 May 2020, www.mentalhealth.gov/basics/what-is-mental-

health.