heavy use of social media is linked to mental illness

Question

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

Comments

This prompt was very interesting and I learned that many people talk about this topic. Social media influences many people to look or act a certain way and we can see that through this link attached. A lot of people have a version of themselves that they want to be in their mind or a loom-a-like that they see online and will do what they can to achieve that. Which causes people to do things to themselves that can create issues physically and mentally.

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It's important to note that the impact of social media on mental health can vary based on individual usage patterns, the nature of content consumed, and personal consuming the media. While some people may experience negative effects, others might find social media to be a valuable tool for support and connection. Some negative effects of social media are excessive use has been associated with "increased risks of depression, anxiety, and psychological distress. A systematic review found that the use of social networking sites is linked to these mental health challenges"
https://law.stanford.edu/2024/05/20/social-media-addiction-and-mental-health-the-growing-concern-for-youth-well-being/?
There are also a lot of body image concerns being distributed to kids or even adults that question the beauty standard of the society we live in today." Social media can lead to body image dissatisfaction, particularly among adolescents. This dissatisfaction may contribute to the development of eating disorders and other related issues."
https://bmcpsychology.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40359-023-01243-x?
In summary, while social media offers can show connection and support, excessive use can contribute to mental health struggles. Balancing online engagement with offline activities and being mindful of content consumption are essential steps toward maintaining mental well-being.

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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.

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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.

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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.

Answer 1

Though the relationship is complicated and not always causative, heavy social media use is associated with mental health problems. According to studies, excessive use is linked to increased rates of loneliness, sadness, and anxiety, especially in teenagers, because of things like sleep disturbance, cyberbullying, and social comparison. However, some users might also benefit from social media's support systems and mental health resources. The main problem is that although excessive use of social media is linked to mental anguish, it's not obvious if these problems are brought on by social media or if susceptible people are more inclined to use it excessively. Potential harmful effects can be lessened with careful use and moderation.

Sources:

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10129173/#:~:text=The%20results%20revealed%20that%2048.3,combined%20anxiety%20and%20depression'20.

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

Answer 2

Verifying this was hard because the relationship between social media and mental health is very complex. I think context is very necessary when it comes to claims like this. I believe that correlation does not equal causation. But using UC Davis Health’s article, “Social Media’s Impact on Our Mental Health and Tips to Use It Safely,” confirms that yes, excessive media use is linked to anxiety, depression, and addictive behavior, especially in teens. Things like FOMO and Cyberbullying are examples of things that might lead to a decrease in mental health.

https://health.ucdavis.edu/blog/cultivating-health/social-medias-impact-our-mental-health-and-tips-to-use-it-safely/2024/05#:~:text=Mental%20health%20impacts,reward%20center%20by%20releasing%20dopamine.

Answer 3

The excessive use of social media has proven to be influential in the development of mental health issues and I agree with the claim that the two are directly correlated. Not only have studies found results in older patient, but the majority of kids between 14-21 are suffering from mental health issues and this is believed to come from the excessive use of social media. 

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

Answer 4

the main message of this article is that heavy use of social media is tied to mental illness. it references a survey done in 2017 by the Royal Society for Public health, and that found that people aged 14-24 believed that social media platforms contributed to anxiety, depression, lack of sleep, exposure to bullying, body image and feeling like missing out. the article cites reputable sources, including the Royal Society for Public Health, and another study done in 2014 about facebook triggering the same impulsive part of the brain that gambling does, which gives credit to the claim being made. the evidence is reliable as it comes from established organizations and researchers.

Answer 5

Yes, this claim is indeed true, and several reliable sources back up this claim. In the article "Social medias impact on our mental health and tips to use it safely" they explain that social media can lead to increased feelings of anxiety, depression, and fear of missing out (FOMO). This article speaks on the act of comparison when it comes using social media, which diminishes one's self-esteem.

Another article published by the National Alliance on Mental Health backs up this claim as well, stating that "students who had access to social media were more likely to report negative mental health outcomes and that their academic performance was negatively affected by poor mental health" (NAMI). This article explains that student's negative academic performance, resulting from poor mental health, is directly correlated with social media usage.

Articles:

Social media’s impact on our mental health and tips to use it safely

Social Media Use and Impact on Mental Health | NAMI

Answer 6

The article from NIH supports this fact and shows that excessive use of social media is related to mental disorders. Spending too much time on social networks can surely result in issues such as anxiety, depression, insomnia, and stress. Of course, the amount of time people spend on these sites, mainly younger users, increases the likelihood of negative effects occurring. The article points out that things like unhealthy comparisons, social media burnout, and less real-life interaction can really mess with mental well-being. This article agrees with that claim, showing that heavy use of social media is not harmless; rather, it contributes to a lot of mental health struggles. It talks about how important it is to be conscious about the time we spend online.

Link between excessive social media use and psychiatric ...National Institutes of Health (NIH) (.gov)https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov › articles › PMC10129173

Answer 7

I my favorite parts about this article, is that the initial claim in the headline is very straightforward, and it specifies “heavy” use of social media have mental health downsides. That acknowledgment alone, using the word heavy is so important because it’s specifies the specific conditions under Social Media is in fact, detrimental to mental health. the article claims that, “According to a survey done in 2017 by the Royal Society for Public Health, Britons aged 14-24 believe that Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter have detrimental effects on their wellbeing.” Anecdotally, I know them from my own experience that peers my age would agree with that sentiment. Personally, I would agree with it as well. It’s really hard to argue that excess use of social media is good for you. It’s really hard to argue that an excess of anything is good for you to be honest. That’s why I really like this claim. The use of the word specifies that they article is referring to excess use of social media.

Answer 8

I thought the article was very interesting to read and I think the claim you are making is certainly backed by recent studies and scientific research. In fact, a systematic review published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research found that problematic social media use in adolescents and young adults is significantly associated with increased symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress.

Similarly, a meta-analysis in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health established a significant association between binge-watching (a behavior often linked to heavy social media use) and depression, with a stronger correlation observed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In addition, a report by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services highlights growing concerns about the effects of social media on youth mental health, noting that excessive use can exacerbate issues like anxiety and depression. However, it's important to note that the relationship between social media use and mental health is complex. Some studies suggest that the impact of social media on mental health can vary depending on individual usage patterns and personal circumstances. For instance, a consensus report in PNAS Nexus emphasizes the need for more nuanced research to understand these dynamics fully.

In conclusion, while heavy social media use is linked to mental health challenges, the extent of its impact can vary among individuals. Moderation and mindful engagement with social media platforms are recommended to mitigate potential negative effects.

https://mental.jmir.org/2022/4/e33450

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

https://www.hhs.gov/surgeongeneral/reports-and-publications/youth-mental-health/social-media/index.html

https://academic.oup.com/pnasnexus/article/3/2/pgae037/7614669

Answer 9

The article, How heavy use of social media is linked to mental illness,  provided by the claim, goes into the research and data on the effects of heavy use of social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, and Twitter. The provided 2017 survey by the Royal Society for Public Health claimed that Britons aged 14-24 that are on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and Twitter deal with mental issues such as anxiety, depression, bad sleeping habits, bullying, concerns with their body image, and the "fear of missing out" (Fomo). Furthermore, the article adds that additional research has shown that social media can trigger similar brain responses to those who struggle with gambling and substance abuse.

Additionally, more research from the National Library of Medicine provided additional proof of how heavy usage of social media may be linked to mental illness. During the COVID-19 pandemic, research shows that the usage of social media spiked due to quarantine. With that major spike, an online survey was conducted and used Chinese citizens from different parts of the country to measure how much mental health problems may be correlated to the heavy use of social media. The research came back and “more than 80% of the total participants reported frequent exposure to social networks. The results revealed that 48.3% of the participants were found to have depression, 22.6% suffered from anxiety, and 19.4% had both. Moreover, more frequent exposure to social media was found to be linked to higher odds of anxiety and ‘combined anxiety and depression ’20.” 

In conclusion, the claim that heavy use of social media is linked to mental illness is factual and many studies show the detrimental effects it has on people all over the world. People, regardless of age, are affected daily and unfortunately, the spikes of anxiety and depression may be rooted in the increasing number of people on social media.

References:

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10129173/#:~:text=The%20results%20revealed%20that%2048.3,combined%20anxiety%20and%20depression'20.

Answer 10

I found this article to be true because of the sources provided throughout the article and various other sources I found to back up the main site's claim. https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2018/05/18/how-heavy-use-of-social-media-is-linked-to-mental-illness?utm_medium=cpc.adword.pd&utm_source=google&ppccampaignID=17210591673&ppcadID=&utm_campaign=a.22brand_pmax&utm_content=conversion.direct-response.anonymous&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjw68K4BhAuEiwAylp3kojZc-_RSnDsZNcqsrkgak4j9Q8JBp2LzzSAIP-uPjHy9VeuAY_qzBoCFfEQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds This is from the original claim about social media and these problems like anxiety, FOMO, depression, and sleep deprivation come from and though it may not be long, the info presented is backed up by the following articles which confirm the claims of a direct correlation presenting in young teens. https://law.stanford.edu/2024/05/20/social-media-addiction-and-mental-health-the-growing-concern-for-youth-well-being/? The original article may be from 2018, but these claims and it's sources stand the test the time and are more relevant now, more then ever, another article about body dysmorphia and figure issues also address and provide new insight on just how serious the situation is.