94 like 0 dislike
in General Factchecking by Newbie (450 points)
Youngsters report problems with anxiety, depression, sleep and “FoMO”
by (100 points)
0 0
The statement that social media has negative effects on metal health is factual and backed up by scientific evidence, but the source used of the Economist is not entirely reliable because it is a .com website, and it's source is from the Royal Society for Public Health, which have since taken down their article. I found a source from the National Library of Medicine with a study titled The Relationship between Social Media and the Increase in Mental Health Problems. They did a study in Saudi Arabia on teenagers who use social media, and stated that "High social media exposure has also been found to be associated with a higher risk of depression and anxiety in the kingdom [12]". The NIH is a trusted and reputable source that is peer-reviewed, so I trust their evidence.
by Newbie (220 points)
0 0
This article claims that the heavy use of social media is causing depression and anxiety among young people. One of the main uses of evidence is that Sean Parker, Facebook’s former president, admitted that Facebook was designed to exploit human psychology. This is true as Sean Parker came out to the public in 2017, sharing that Facebook was designed to consume as much attention as possible, knowing its impacts on young people's brains. This article took findings from a survey by the Center for Humane Technology, indicating that nearly 63% of Instagram users reported that they were unhappy, having spent an average of an hour per day on the app. 37% who were happy spent around half an hour. This is consistent with what I found in the official survey, making this fact check true.
by (110 points)
0 0
This article from The Economist makes a claim that young people from the ages 14-21 that use social media deal with a lot more mental health problems. I agree with this claim because they use a lot of backed up evidence and statistics to provide a valid argument. Some of the evidence they used like "platforms exacerbated anxiety and depression, deprived them of sleep, exposed them to bullying and created worries about their body image and “FOMO” (“fear of missing out”)." that is backed up by a well respected organization from the United Kingdom. I agree with The Economist's claim and I believe it is a valid article.
ago by (100 points)
0 0
I completely agree with this article, I personaly have been effected negativly by what i saw on social media, it is harmful to people that have insecurities and self doubt to be scrolling on social media and seeing all these people showing how great their life is made out to be and how successful they are, I also think that excessive social media intake will lead to procrastination and laziness.
ago by Newbie (320 points)
0 0
I agree that over use of social media can lead to mental distress. The act of constantly observing others life and comparing them to your own can lead to you not feeling good enough.

94 Answers

0 like 0 dislike
by Newbie (420 points)

I can agree that social media does make an impact on a person's mental health. The provided link gave us information and data that supported the claim of heavy use of social media and its negative effects. Any individual can spend hours scrolling through an app and not realized the damage that is being done. Social media can be a distraction from our work, causing issues to our sleep schedule, or comparing yourself to others you see on the internet. The majority of what's posted on social media, especially from influencers, creates a false narrative of their lifestyle. Showing off everything they have and presenting beauty standards that affect young individuals as they want the life they have. Overall, social media impacts a person in a variety of ways which is important to bring awareness to the people specifically the younger audience on not trying to compare each other. The link below is an article that not only talks about the same issues; but dives a bit deeper into the effects of social media, how to protect our mental health, and how we can use social media more effectively. 

Navigating the Digital Maze: The Impact of Social Media on Adolescent Mental Health

True
0 like 0 dislike
by Novice (900 points)

From my research and what I've read studies have shown that heavy social media use has shown to increased risks of depression and anxiety, especially in teens. While the connection is strong, it's not 100%, as other factors like reduced in person interaction also contribute. As well as a vitamin D deficiency from not being outside. So I recommend just managing your use.

True
0 like 0 dislike
by Newbie (320 points)
This statement can ring true for many. There has been significant research on the impact social media usage has on individuals of any age. The article provided demonstrates that controlled use of various media apps does not significantly hurt one's mental health. Still, those with higher screen time tend to struggle more with their mental health. An article by McClean Hospital reinforces this idea; "Social media has a reinforcing nature. Using it activates the brain's reward center by releasing dopamine. [...] the platforms are designed to be addictive." Much like other addicting things (like gambling or drugs), it may feel pleasurable for a time, but then it becomes problematic to one's well-being. However, the individual may feel unable to stop and will repeat the activity or harmful behavior frequently. This can trigger feelings of anxiety, insecurity, FOMO, etc. While social media can be great socially, it can also increase the frequency of harmful interactions and negative content viewing and facilitate one's mood. Ultimately, social media's impact on an individual's mental health is contingent on how it is utilized (like the content one interacts with) and how much it is used.

https://www.mcleanhospital.org/essential/it-or-not-social-medias-affecting-your-mental-health
True
0 like 0 dislike
by Newbie (300 points)

The article from the Economist claims that the usage of social media by younger individuals (aged 14-21) can have a negative impact on their mental health. While looking to find additional articles to support this claim, I can across an article by Mcclean hospital. This article explains how teens can search "for validation on the internet that serves as a replacement for meaningful connection they might otherwise make in real life." The article also explores the idea of FOMO- fear of missing out. It claims "Missing experiences can 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." In today's day of age, since technology and media has became so advanced, it puts pressure on young individuals to partake in it. But by partaking, they fall into a trap of searching for validation in some form on social media, along with potentially getting fomo which this article explained leads to anxiety and depression, which is what the original claim of "social media usage leads to mental illness" claimed as well. 

https://www.mcleanhospital.org/essential/it-or-not-social-medias-affecting-your-mental-health

True
0 like 0 dislike
by Newbie (360 points)
This is true! Research shows that heavy use of social media is associated with mental health issues such as increased anxiety, depression, loneliness, and poor sleep quality. These issues could be from exposure to unrealistic portrayals of others’ lives, cyberbullying, fear of missing out (FOMO). While not everyone who uses social media heavily experiences mental illness, the correlation suggests that overuse can exacerbate existing vulnerabilities, particularly in young people and individuals already prone to mental health issues."

https://www.mcleanhospital.org/essential/it-or-not-social-medias-affecting-your-mental-health
True
0 like 0 dislike
by Newbie (300 points)
The original claim of the subject is that "heavy use of social media is linked to mental illness" as well as"youngsters report problems with anxiety, depression, sleeping and FOMO. This website is backed by academic studies and surveys that show the link between high social media usage and negative emotions. This website explains that in a survey of over 5000 teenagers, most of them reported either anxiety, depression, or some other sort of negative emotion while being on social media constantly. On the other hand, people who spend less time on social media apps like Snapchat, Instagram, and so on, as well as people who use more direct calling and facetiming were much happier, on top of this. This pattern has also been recognized by neuroscientists, who say these media do, in fact, cause a lot of internal harm to someone's well-being, with this I conclude that this fact is true
True
0 like 0 dislike
by Newbie (340 points)

To begin, the article sticks to facts and aligns with existing research, citing a 2017 Royal Society of Public Health survey and a longitudinal study linking increased Facebook activity to lower mental health scores. However, it lacks direction. It acknowledges that correlation does not mean causation, but it does not fully explore weather poor mental health leads to excessive social media use. Additionally, it presents a one-sided perspective, omitting potential benefits like social support and mental health resources. The article seems to be credible but should be supplemented with primary research for a better understanding of the content. The Economist article discusses how young people are susceptible to anxiety, depression, and sleep deprivation when they use social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. The article’s claims that heavy social media use is linked to mental illness associated with body image, fear of missing out (FOMO), and cyberbullying appear to be true. An article from UC Davis Health titled “Social Media’s Impact on our Mental Health and Tips to Use It Safely” backs up the point that social media use may increase feelings of anxiety and depression, specifically in teens and young adults. It furthers that the addictive nature of social media activates the brain's reward center by releasing dopamine. Furthermore, the UC Davis article also verifies that the use of social media increases feelings of FOMO for many people. 

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

True
0 like 0 dislike
by Newbie (300 points)
To fact check these claims I used reliable sources like the Royal Society for Public Health, OECD, and Deloitte, all of which are credible and backed by research. Most claims were accurate but the economic cost of mental health varied in different reports, making it hard to find an exact percentage. Social media’s impact on mental health was well-supported, though the connection isn’t always straightforward.

https://www.rsph.org.uk/our-work/campaigns/status-of-mind.html?

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/nov/09/facebook-sean-parker-vulnerability-brain-psychology?

https://www.talkiatry.com/blog/the-impact-of-social-media-on-mental-health?
True
0 like 0 dislike
by Newbie (300 points)

Heavy use of social media is linked to mental illnesses. According to the National Library of Medicine, "Social media is the second most leading cause of disability among psychiatric disorders." They also say "The use of social media is strongly correlated with the development of anxiety and other physiatrics problems such as depression, insomnia, stress and subjective happiness." This is a common theme when googling if heavy use of social media is linked to mental illness. I also read an article from the Stanford Law School webpage. Where they write about how the excessive use of social media is affecting young adults these days. Other schools such as Yale, UC Davis and MIT had articles on the same topic all agreeing that the heavy use of social media is linked to mental illnesses in young adults these days. And I agree with them because I think everyone would admit that they're on their phone to much and that they need to take more breaks. And I find myself needing to take a break because I realize that I just scrolled on TikTok or instagram for over an hour. 

Sources: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10129173/

https://law.stanford.edu/2024/05/20/social-media-addiction-and-mental-health-the-growing-concern-for-youth-well-being/

True
0 like 0 dislike
by Newbie (260 points)

Apps like social media are designed to be addictive. The more usage and engagement they get the more money the platforms make. McLean Hospital states, "The earlier teens start using social media, the greater impact the -platforms have on mental health. This is especially true for females"(McLean). Hurtful comments and negative content can really take a toll on someones mental health. It is said in the article that males take out their aggression physically and females tend to take their aggression out through hurtful comments and excluding others. So social media can be a way for people to be effected by those hurtful comments or can be an outlet to hurt others. This way the negative impact and outlet social media can be is how social media tolls on people mental health. It is not necessarily focused on social media itself but also the way people use social media. So yes social media effects peoples mental health, especially growing teens. 

sources:

https://www.mcleanhospital.org/essential/it-or-not-social-medias-affecting-your-mental-health

https://law.stanford.edu/2024/05/20/social-media-addiction-and-mental-health-the-growing-concern-for-youth-well-being/

True

Community Rules


• Be respectful
• Always list your sources and include links so readers can check them for themselves.
• Use primary sources when you can, and only go to credible secondary sources if necessary.
• Try to rely on more than one source, especially for big claims.
• Point out if sources you quote have interests that could affect how accurate their evidence is.
• Watch for bias in sources and let readers know if you find anything that might influence their perspective.
• Show all the important evidence, whether it supports or goes against the claim.
...