heavy use of social media is linked to mental illness

Question

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

Comments

While I agree with the claim, and there are many facts to back up the claim. I'm apprehensive of the article you chose to back up your claim. I'm always skeptical when it comes to .com websites because typically there is a lot of ad revenue but can have a specific bias if a certain company is sponsoring the article. I also am skeptical is the only resource to back up their claim is a survey that consisted of 5k Americans in 2015. The data is pretty dated, and I think there are more negative effects within the last ten years.  I really enjoyed reading this article because it was put out by a hospital talked more about the scientific effects of what is going on with your brain when you are interacting with social media.

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

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This claim is very well supported as they used direct evidence from sources like the CEO of Facebook and other outside research to support this claim.

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This claim about social media being a link to mental illness in young adults is a well backed statement. After analyzing the article provided in the post, I cross analyzed it with a more recent article from McLean Hospital. Mclean provides professional opinions and multiple articles that back the information provided within The Economist article. Along with mentioning the same results from the 2018 British study illustrated with a graph by The Economist article.

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

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I totally relate to what you’re saying. Social media can often be overwhelming, especially when it seems like everyone else is living their best life and achieving so much. It can definitely magnify insecurities and make you question your own worth or progress. It's important to remember that what we see online isn't always the full picture, and everyone has their own unique journey. Taking a step back and focusing on real-life connections and self-care can really help with staying grounded.

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I agree with this statement. The claim is correct and there are statistics to prove it. The articles are linked and include relevant facts relating increase of social media with decrease in mental health. There are also many reputable articles published on the same topic with the same conclusion.

Answer 1

This article claims that social media causes the younger generations to have more detrimental side effects on their mental health. I traced the main study back to a study done by the RSPH (Royal Society for Public Health) in 2014. https://www.rsph.org.uk/static/uploaded/d125b27c-0b62-41c5-a2c0155a8887cd01.pdf

After reading it, I realized that it seems like a legitimate source that can be trusted and used.

Answer 2

The claim that teenagers struggle with anxiety, depression, sleep, and "FoMO" (fear of missing out) due to excessive social media use comes from a The Economist article published on May 18, 2018. While The Economist is reputable, it sometimes oversimplifies complex issues. The article suggests a link between heavy social media use and mental illness but does not clarify if the relationship is correlational or causational. To verify this claim, I examined research from credible sources. A 2022 American Psychological Association report found social media use linked to anxiety, depression, and sleep issues but emphasized other factors like pre-existing conditions and offline support. A 2023 JAMA Psychiatry study found excessive social media use contributes to FoMO and poor mental health but noted lifestyle factors like exercise and social interactions are also key. Pew Research (2023) reported similar findings. While social media is associated with mental health struggles, it is not the sole cause. Evaluating evidence shows this claim is partially true but lacks context. Always verify multiple sources before sharing information.

Answer 3

This claim seems to be fairly accurate and the source that you used is credible and provides good evidence for the claim. This report found in that National Library of Medicine provides a lot more information on the topic, most of which also supports this claim. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10129173/

Answer 4

This claim is as good as true. The only part of this claim that I would differ with is that heavy use of social media is inked to mental health, not mental illness. Although it seems like a small difference I think there is a very wide difference when we talk about how social media is effecting “youngsters”. Mental health refers to “our emotional, psychological, and social well-being” which in my opinion is exactly what we are referring to. All platforms agree with social media being a big part of mental health decline. Especially with how social media is linked to the same part of the brain as gambling. According to Standford Law, social media is going to continue to be a part of our populations lives and we as individuals, must take responsibility and be mindful of the time we are spending on social networking sites. Which aligns with our original article which states “an obvious solution to the problem is to cut down on screen time”. It will be interesting to see how this progresses over time because I feel like many people don’t think of social media as an addiction, even though is so clearly is. Dr. Nancy Deangelis; CRNP, Director of Behavioral Health says “Social media platforms drive surges of dopamine to the brain to keep consumers coming back over and over again. The shares, like and comments on these platforms trigger the brain’s reward center, resulting in a high similar to the one people feel when gambling or using drugs”. Overall the economist article did a good job explaining, and the only thing I would pin as false is illness versus health. 

https://www.jeffersonhealth.org/your-health/living-well/the-addictiveness-of-social-media-how-teens-get-hooked

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

https://www.mcleanhospital.org/essential/mental-health-mental-illness

Answer 5

The claim is “heavy use of social media is linked to mental illness.” The source of the claim is from The Economist. The Economist is a reliable source. Many of its articles are written by experienced journalists and experts in economics, politics, and international affairs. Many of their articles have expert opinions, and do not have bias. The website used also has charts and data. The claim says that “Youngsters report problems with anxiety, depression, sleep and “FoMO.” An article “Link between excessive social media use and psychiatric disorders” by PMC PubMed Central also similarly claims that the use of social networks is strongly correlated with the development of anxiety and other psychological problems such as depression, insomnia, stress, decreased subjective happiness, and a sense of mental deprivation. PMC PubMed is a reliable government website. 

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10129173/#:~:text=The%20use%20of%20social%20networks,a%20sense%20of%20mental%20deprivation.

Answer 6

After doing other research, this claim seems to be true. The source provided gives survey evidence to support this claim and the source looks reliable. The only thing it does not offer is biological reasoning for why this would happen. However, the National Institute of Medicine gives a thorough argument addressing the reasons social media impacts specifically anxiety and depression. They also evaluate various studies exploring that previous mental health issues can induce more social media use, perpetuating the problem. Mental health is said to be directly correlated to frequency, duration and number of platforms being used, understanding that with a statistical increase in social media use since covid, correlates with increased mental affects.

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

Answer 7

After reading the linked article along with doing some of my own research, I found that heavy social media use can definitely be linked to mental illness. Certain dopamine receptors will keep people coming back to social media and can put them in a never ending cycle of social media use. Social media platforms such as Instagram, X (formerly known as twitter), TikTok, and more, are coded to be addictive and compulsive. McLean hospital did research on this topic and came back with an interesting comparison. "'When the outcome is unpredictable, the behavior is more likely to repeat. Think of a slot machine: if game players knew they never were going to get money by playing the game, then they never would play.'" This quote come from Dr. Sperling who is a member at McLean hospital. Likes, comments, and reposts are the dopamine that people get from social media. When you get a lot of them, partnered with positive feedback you want to be on social media more as it makes you feel good. The opposite is that negative feedback and low reviews can cause people to spiral leading to them returning to the app. Mental illness via social media is most commonly found in teens, however it's not rare to find social media addiction and mental illness in adults too.

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

Answer 8

It has been proven that social media has impacted many individuals negatively. In an article published to the UC Davis Health website, it states how social media can impact peoples overall well-being by fueling anxiety, depression, loneliness and FOMO. This can be lead back to the addictive nature of being online and connected to others virtually. Feelings of anxiety and depression, especially having to do with their own appearance can be caused by use of filters to create false illusions of their face and bodies. An article published to the National Library of Medicine describes how there has been a massive spike in social media usage amongst teens over the past 10 years, and it only grew during the Covid-19 outbreak. a survey carried out in 2020 reported that many people got online as a coping strategy against stress, anxiety, and loss, showing that social media could have a positive impact, but at the same time, it also negatively impacted their self esteem and self image.

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10129173/
https://health.ucdavis.edu/blog/cultivating-health/social-medias-impact-our-mental-health-and-tips-to-use-it-safely/2024/05

Answer 9

This is true! According to an article by Jacqueline Sperling, social media cites use a “risk for reward” type of system, one that makes users addicted to their sights. Systems such as likes contribute to this. This article states, “When reviewing others’ social activity, people tend to make comparisons such as “Why didn’t this person like my post, but this other person did?” They’re searching for validation on the internet that serves as a replacement for meaningful connection they might otherwise make in real life” (Sperling). The possibility of reward causes users to come back for more, leading to disappointment, self insecurity, and the possibility of other issues if a social media reliant user doesn’t receive this “reward”. Another contributor discussed in this article is “fear of missing out”, a feeling that can be caused by social media. Social media is truly a highlight reels, which can be damaging to individuals who compare themselves to others on a platform. The source you used (The Economist) also touches on this matter discussing how FOMO as well as comparison (particularly of body image) affects particularly young users.

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