heavy use of social media is linked to mental illness

Question

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

Comments

Your comment was more informative than the actual post. I never thought of the link between social media and mental health in that way. This does seems like a very subjective topic to be discussing so broadly.

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I find this topic very relevant, as these days social media is a part of everyday life for most people. I found the graph used in the article you provided as a very helpful way of showing people's associations between the different social medias and different words, and if they feel positive or negative.

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I agree with your topic. I believe that this is one of those bigger topics that is spoken about a lot in this generation. I do agree that social media can cause depression and anxiety because there is a lot of articles/real people going through this, but this doesn't necessarily apply to every person. Many people can benefit from social media when it comes to things like getting help with things they need, business ideas, or ways to better yourself etc. I will drop down to articles which can make your topic better, one that is agrees with your topic and another one that others might relate to more! https://health.ucdavis.edu/blog/cultivating-health/social-medias-impact-our-mental-health-and-tips-to-use-it-safely/2024/05
https://www.simplilearn.com/importance-of-social-media-in-todays-world-article

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I think that this is a very true statement. many people have done research on this topic and a lot of people can see negative effects. Even when looking at ourselves we can see the negative effects and the control that it can have over us.   

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

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I agree with the statement that heavy use of social media is linked to mental illness. Social media is a great way to communicate with others while being alone. Yes it can bring you together with people, but it is really making people more separated in their society. Going on social media most if not all the people posting, are showing their "best" version of themselves, and as a viewwer who only sees these people through the screen it seems like their life is perfect, which is false. No ones life is perfect, so it is very easy to escape to social media and find new desires or even be jealous of how others are living. In the end social media is a huge part of escapism and causes people to be more isolated, unhappy, and have an increase of mental illnesses. It has also proven that by even just looking at a screen it negatively impacts your mind.

Answer 1

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

Answer 2

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.

Answer 3

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

Answer 4

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

Answer 5

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

Answer 6

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

Answer 7

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 

Answer 8

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?

Answer 9

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/

Answer 10

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/