heavy use of social media is linked to mental illness

Question

Youngsters report problems with anxiety, depression, sleep and “FoMO”

Comments

The article claims that excessive use of social media can lead to mental illness. The article is from the Economist which is a reputable source to begin with. The article claims that young people ages 14-24 have had worsening mental health while using popular social media websites. The sources used include multiple studies done by researchers who seem reputable. However, some of the links used do not lead to actual pages, so a further search is needed. Overall, the numbers and results used in the article line up with the linked surveys and corroborate the truthfulness of the article.

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This article claims that ages 14-24 have a higher risk of developing mental illness from social media. Linking to increased anxiety, depression, lack of sleep, and fear of missing out on social events. I totally agree to this claim according to Economist as social media portrays a facade to everyone's life, making it feel like what you are doing is never enough. Contributing to the obsession and alteration social media has on people's lives.

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I agree. People can fabricate their lives on social media, making seem as though their lives are perfect. Most people only post their best moments on social media. This can make it seem as though your life is not nearly as cool or fulfilling as everyone else's, and that you are missing out.

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I agree. I feel like it ties into cultivation analysis, where people who watch too much television start to perceive the world differently, and I feel like it can be applied to social media

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Good catch on the numbers lining up! The Economist is solid, but it’s also helpful to remember that correlation doesn’t necessarily mean causation. Mental health issues in teens could have multiple contributing factors, not just social media. Some studies even suggest that how one uses social media ,passively or interactively, impacts mental health differently. Emphasizing this could add depth to the discussion on social media's role in youth mental health.

Answer 1

According to Yale Medicine, excessive use of social media could potentially lead to mental illnesses. The article addresses how over time, there has been progressive research showing how the extreme use of social media results in anxiety, depression, stress, and other mood disorders. It emphasizes how the consumption of media at an even earlier age produces more harm as they are being exposed to toxic behaviors and trends at an even younger age and becoming more desensitized to them sooner. Additionally, it articulates how social media creates a prize and reward inducing reaction to posting and getting validation from their viewers, which ultimately can develop an addiction to getting instant gratification.

https://www.yalemedicine.org/news/social-media-teen-mental-health-a-parents-guide#:~:text=According%20to%20a%20research%20study,including%20depression%20and%20anxiety%20symptoms.

Answer 2

An article just published in The Economist suggests how young people aged between 14 and 24 years think that platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter fuel anxiety, depression, and sleep deprivation. Social media had been associated with body image issues, cyberbullying, and "fear of missing out." Besides, research tracked Facebook users over time, finding increased activity was correlated with a decline in mental health. A study conducted by the NCBI approaches these issues by following a scientific structure. The particular psychological mechanisms involved in social media usage were studied, and from these researchers identified heavy exposure to social media as one such factor increasing the risks of developing anxiety and depression due to continuous social comparison, cyberbullying, or addictive nature of the sites. This study also agrees with the findings of The Economist. You can read more about it here. Moreover, it states in The Economist that heavy social media consumption among youth 14-21-year-old individuals is harmful for their mental health. They supported that claim using a 2017 poll conducted by the Royal Society for Public Health, a well-known charity who creates research on behalf of public health. The hyperlink they provided in the article is not available anymore, but was found on their page here. This is also further in agreement with their claims that social media has been associated with sleep disturbance, anxiety, depression, FOMO, bullying, and negative self-image. Other findings in addition to these support these claims: those of UC Davis Health (link), Yale Medicine (link), and the National Library of Medicine (link),. These collective pieces of evidence support the legitimacy in these claims made by The Economist, as they are based upon reliable research and match up with numerous studies about the effects that social media has on one's mental health.

Comments

I agree. I feel like it ties into cultivation analysis, where people who watch too much television start to perceive the world differently, and I feel like it can be applied to social media

Answer 3

In this article from The Economist, they claim that heavy social media usage is directly linked to mental illness and disorder. To support their claim, they use data from Royal Society for Public Health, and Moment, an app which manages time spent across different apps. I believe this claim to be true, and found the data provided from the Royal Society for Public Health to be especially convincing because it showed that apps such as Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Snapchat all had negative impacts reported in sleep, FoMO, bullying, and body image. As I looked into other sources to investigate this claim, the National Library of Medicine provided an article which also states, "The majority of the cited literature predicts that the likelihood of social media-induced mental health problems is directly proportional to the amount of time spent on these sites, the frequency of usage, and the number of platforms being used. Various possible explanations have been implicated, including a negative impact on self-esteem through unhealthy comparisons, social media burnout, stress, lack of emotional regulation due to social media preoccupation, and development of social anxiety due to decreased real-life social interactions." This further supports how excessive social media usage contributes to the development of psychiatric disorders. I believe this to be especially true amongst teens due to the increasing presence of technology and media in the new generation. The facts presented in the article by the National Library of Medicine closely align with what is stated in The Economist. 

source- https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10129173/

Comments

Hi, I agree with you and think you did a wonderful job factchecking. I think that it is important to include specific quotations from the source that reflect what you are trying to get across as you did here. Also, the source you used is very factual which is important when researching whether or not something is truthful. I do feel as if data from an app may be misleading and looking further into who owns the app and whether social media companies are connected to it, and if so how they're connected, is also important. Overall I think you did a great job!

Answer 4

The claim that "heavy use of social media is linked to mental illness" and that "youngsters report problems with anxiety, depression, sleep, and FoMO (Fear of Missing Out)" is well-supported by multiple studies and reputable sources. The Economist article highlights this connection, and further investigation reveals consistent findings across various trusted sources. For instance, Verywell Mind and the American Psychological Association report that extensive social media use is associated with increased risks of anxiety, depression, and poor mental health. Additionally, studies referenced by Lancaster General Health indicate that frequent social media users often experience higher levels of depression and loneliness. Therefore, the evidence strongly suggests that heavy social media use can negatively impact mental health, particularly among young people.

https://www.verywellmind.com/link-between-social-media-and-mental-health-5089347

https://www.apa.org/monitor/2024/04/teen-social-use-mental-health

https://www.lancastergeneralhealth.org/health-hub-home/2021/september/the-effects-of-social-media-on-mental-health

Answer 5

This article titled, How Heavy Use of social media is linked to mental illness claims that users between the ages of 14-24 are most likely to be negatively impacted by social media. One of the first surveys they review explains the effects social media. Stating that social media gave them an "extra scope for self-expression and community-building" but in return included negative effects like anxiety, depression, deprived sleep, bullying, worries of body image, and FOMO(fear or missing out). It provides two graphs examining the different age groups and others showing its positive/negative effects on their health. the article also dates back to survey's in relation to their claim. The third one for example was published by the American Journal of Epidemiology where it compared the negative associations of Facebook to the positive impacts of offline interactions, providing tables and graphs in return. The article overall does a really great way of providing lots of data that corresponds to their claim, all in which can be factual to believe. According to an article at UC Davis (medically reviewed by Dawn Bounds, an Assistant Professor at the UCI Sue and Bill Gross School of Nursing), they claimed, "social media can negatively impact our overall wellbeing by fueling anxiety, depression, loneliness, and FOMO(fear or missing out)." Also stating the these issues were found in teens and young adults. The article also provided its own information on the mental health impacts and in return suggested ways to use social media safely. Its another valuable source of information that can further on back this article.

Sources: 

Survey - https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Association-of-Facebook-Use-With-Compromised-A-Shakya-Christakis/5270606dec382cfd50e925467ba35dac44654fc1

UC Davis: https://health.ucdavis.edu/blog/cultivating-health/social-medias-impact-our-mental-health-and-tips-to-use-it-safely/2024/05