Jackson 1

Amanda Jackson

Mrs. Jackie Burr, Instructor

English 2010, Section 3

3 May 2021

The Correlation Between Social Media and the Mental Health of Adolescents

It’s no secret that most people, especially adolescents, use social media as a way to share

their lives with people that they love using various social media platforms as a way to form

connections and keep in touch. Social media has become more accessible as technology has

advanced requiring only a simple touch on a screen to connect, and almost every teenager has

access to a smartphone that will connect them to the growing phenomenon that social media has

become. Whether sharing posts about major life events, catching up on current events, or just

scrolling aimlessly through a feed, the amount of time adolescents spend on their phone,

especially on social media, has been steadily increasing as technology is becoming more

accessible. Alice Walton, senior contributor for Forbes, recently reviewed new studies that prove

that overall social media has a negative impact on mental health. Walton analyzed two different

studies that came to the same conclusion, these studies showed that “ [There is] not just a

correlation but causation.” Meaning that time spent on social media has a measurable effect on

mental health. Although it is important to stay connected to friends, family, and current events,

spending excessive amounts of time on social media such as Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook

can lead to an increased risk of developing mental health disorders such as anxiety and

depression, these disorders becoming more prevalent with higher rates of social media usage.

Having already established that there is a direct correlation--causation rather--that using

social media platforms can have an effect on the mental health of adolescents both positively and
 Jackson 2

negatively it is important to recognize that spending excessive amounts of time doing anything

will harm your mental health. Adolescents have a higher risk of developing an addiction to social

media that can lead to developing a mental health disorder. In a recent study conducted by the

Pew Research Center of Internet and Technology revealed that teenagers recognize the effects

social media can have on their lives, both positive and negative. By asking a simple question

adolescents were instantly able to determine the effect social media has had on their lives,

especially their mental health (Anderson). During the Covid-19 pandemic, adolescents all across

the country eagerly used social media as a way to connect using the internet instead of

connecting in person. Social media platforms can be helpful in forming connections but most

people only show a highlight reel of their lives rather than the whole picture leading to users

forming a warped view of what life is really like. Tim Waters, a clinical mental health counselor,

warns adolescents to keep in mind that people only post the “tens” of their lives and that can lead

to comparison and that can lead to developing depression and in some extreme cases depression.

Shifting views, not all media is bad for its consumers, most people use social media as a

way to connect with those that can’t be close to them in real life, such as receiving updates from

the local and national news, sharing important life events, and overall as a way to keep up with

the lives of those you follow. In the previous study conducted by the Pew Research Center of

Internet and Technology, thirty-one percent of teenagers surveyed said that social media has a

positive impact on their lives for multiple reasons, specifically having the opportunity to express

themselves, stay entertained, being able to receive support from other people going through

similar life events, and forming communication skills. The previous study also revealed that

almost ninety-five percent of teenagers have access to a smart phone and forty-five when asked

said that they are online almost constantly checking various social media sources in order to stay
 Jackson 3

entertained (see figure 1). Although Social media can have a positive impact on teenagers lives,

it is unavoidable that negative posts and comments will appear and as a result declining mental

health will become more prevalent especially in young adult lives.

Humans are creatures that require socialization, some need more socialization than others

but socialization and forming connections with others is unavoidable and a key that helps them

thrive in their everyday lives (Waters). Those connections formed with others have an effect on

mental health; having good wholesome connections with others will lead to happiness and have a

positive effect on adolescents' mental health, however connecting with others negatively will be

a detriment to mental health and their ability to be happy. Using social media sites such as

Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, and other various platforms has become a social normality

especially to find others and to form connections that will help adolescents in their lives,

however social connections formed over the internet may bring joy and it cannot replace real life

social interactions with others (Robinson). Spending an excessive amount of time scrolling

aimlessly through the feed of one platform can lead to serious repercussions on mental health.

Finding a balance between using social media as a way to form connections and using it

destructively to harm real life connections is critical in order to preserve the mental health of its

users. Excessive use of any social media platform cannot only cause problems for mental health

but it can also magnify problems that are already present making them worse rather than using

helpful strategies to improve mental health.

Moving forward, social media addictions can contort adolescents’' priorities in life such

as spending time on their phones rather than completing homework, having a job, and the ability

to get enough sleep so they can function to the best of their abilities. Lack of sleep also affects

your academic performance that could also lead to depression. Getting enough sleep is crucial to
 Jackson 4

have the ability to function and being deprived can form a barrier that can limit the ability to

form real life connections. JAMA Psychology found that “adolescents who use social media for

more than three hours, may be at heightened risk of mental health problems, particularly

internalizing problems.” Most young adults that have internalized problems rarely seek help and

let their problems eat away at their wellbeing. In a recent study by the University of Reno

Nevada discovered that most adolescents have to check one or multiple platforms every three

hours or they get feelings of anxiousness or more commonly referred to as the fear of missing

out (FOMO) that has received its name from the Anxiety and Depression Association of America

has become more common and is linked to other social anxiety disorders, which are the most

common mental health disorders in the United States today. Although many risks are overlooked

by adolescents, adults, and parents, it is imperative to interfere before unhealthy social media

habits turn into mental health disorders. Researchers are not only studying the impacts that social

media can have on teenagers and young adults but they are also finding new ways to help

prevent mental health disorders by giving tips and tricks to help limit media usage and how to

use media positively by connecting with others and developing important skills. Some of the

most important tips are making sure to limit time spent on social media by setting timers within

the settings of the platforms, monitoring how you are feeling while using media and avoid using

the platforms to promote negativity by falling into the many traps, such as controversial opinions

for example. Another strategy widely used is remembering that not everything that you see on

social media is real, people use social media as a way to show a highlight reel of their lives, only

showing the good parts and purposely leaving out all of the bad parts.

Adolescents are not the only ones at risk for addictions to social media, Pew Research

Center conducted a study on the percentage of adults and teenagers that use social media on a
 Jackson 5

daily basis and with the results researchers concluded that a large portion of the population is at

risk for developing a mental disorder such as anxiety or depression, so why do users continue to

use social media even when they know it is going to harm their mental health? According to

researchers at Mclean Hospital most social media users continue to come back and use social

media for the potential of a different outcome, the potential of comparing your life to the ones on

social media and thinking that yours is better. After this study the Mclean hospital had an idea to

remove the amount of likes so the users could not attach their self worth to the amount of likes

one picture received versus the amount that others have received. This feature would be a step in

the right direction toward making social media a place to promote positive mental health and to

bring awareness to its users. Most people, especially adolescents, turn to social media as a way

to make connections but they validate those connections by associating them with a number like

the amount of followers, likes, or comments that they have overall. In summary adolescents that

use social media excessively are at a greater risk for developing a mental health disorder as

various surveys have concluded that there is a direct correlation between mental health and social

media.
 Jackson 6

Appendix:

(Figure 1) Infographic created based on results of a study conducted by the Pew Research Center

of Internet and Technology.

 Jackson 7

Works Cited:

Anderson, Monica, and Jingjing Jiang. “Teens, Social Media & Technology 2018.” Pew

Research Center: Internet, Science & Tech, Pew Research Center, 7 Apr. 2021,

www.pewresearch.org/internet/2018/05/31/teens-social-media-technology-2018/.

Drouin, Michelle, et al. “College Students in Distress: Can Social Media Be a Source of

Social Support?” College Student Journal, vol. 52, no. 4, Winter 2018, pp. 494–504.

EBSCOhost,

search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=134341758&site=ehost-live.

Hawi, Nazir, and Maya Samaha. “Identifying Commonalities and Differences in Personality

Characteristics of Internet and Social Media Addiction Profiles: Traits, Self-Esteem, and

Self-Construal.” Behaviour & Information Technology, vol. 38, no. 2, Feb. 2019, pp.

110–119.

EBSCOhost, doi:10.1080/0144929X.2018.1515984.

Kardaras, Nicholas. “Generation Z: Online and at Risk?” Scientific American

Mind, vol. 27, no. 5, Sept. 2016, pp. 64–69. EBSCOhost,

doi:10.1038/scientificamericanmind0916-64.

Kaur, Satinder, and Deepika Vig. “Selfie and Mental Health Issues: An Overview.”

Indian Journal of Health & Wellbeing, vol. 7, no. 12, Dec. 2016, pp. 1149–1152.

EBSCOhost,search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=122600541&sit

e=ehost-live.

Robinson, Lawrence. “Social Media and Mental Health.” HelpGuide.org, 19 Apr. 2021,

www.helpguide.org/articles/mental-health/social-media-and-mental-health.htm.
 Jackson 8

Robinson, Patrick, et al. “Measuring Attitudes towards Mental Health Using Social Media:

Investigating Stigma and Trivialisation.” Social Psychiatry & Psychiatric Epidemiology,

vol. 54, no.

1, Jan. 2019, pp. 51–58. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1007/s00127-018-1571-5.

“Social Media and Adolescents' and Young Adults' Mental Health.” National Center for

Health Research, 17 Mar. 2021,

www.center4research.org/social-media-affects-mental-health/.

“Social Media and the Mind.” Scientific American Mind, vol. 27, no. 2, Mar. 2016, p. 8.

EBSCOhost,search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=112811616&sit

e=ehost-lIve.

Walton, Alice G. “New Studies Show Just How Bad Social Media Is For Mental Health.”

Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 18 Nov. 2018,

www.forbes.com/sites/alicegwalton/2018/11/16/new-research-shows-just-how-bad-social

-media-can-be-for-mental-health/?sh=277941ad7af4.

Waters, Tim. Personal Interview. 27 April 2021.

“Impact of Social Media on Youth Mental Health.” University of Nevada, Reno, 30 Dec. 2019,

onlinedegrees.unr.edu/online-master-of-public-health/impact-of-social-media-on-youth-m

ental-health/.

“Your Technology: Could You Ever Give Up Social Media?” Scholastic Choices, vol. 35, no. 5,

Feb. 2020, p. T5. EBSCOhost,

search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=141312834&site=ehost-live.