Is Social media responsible for the increase in Mental Health issues in young people?
The rates of mental health issues in teenagers and young people is increasing, with 20% of the young people in the United States suffering from a mental disorder in their lifetime (Traci Pederson, 2010, Psych Central). This increase must have stemmed from something recent and modern, which many psychologists believe may be the large increase in use of social media, for example Facebook, which has around 1.2 billion active users per month (Whitman, 2015, Medical News Today). This may be damaging the mental health of teenagers in today’s modern society and may be the reason for the increase in mental illnesses. This essay will explore the damaging effects of social media but also what benefits there may be.
One of the main mental illnesses which has increased in young people is eating disorders. The rate of eating disorder admissions to hospitals has nearly doubled between 2010/11 to 2013/14, from 959 to 1815 (Whitworth, 2015, BBC News). The person interviewed in the article, Freya Chandler, believes that the cause of her mental illness may be due to feeling guilty about herself and wanting to be skinny due to the pictures she saw on various social media sites. Social media sites in today’s society put a lot of pressure on teenagers in the modern day to have the ideal figure and be skinny for example the models displayed on social media sites, such as Facebook, which is why a mental illness
Social media is the way teens network. It includes applications such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram where individuals can connect, share photographs, and like others posts or images. These applications can be accessed through electronic devices such as iPads, phones, computers, etc. It is known to educate, engage, and impact individuals and their environment. The most well-known theory is that an individual can control what he/she sees, considers, or feels about a topic. To some degree this is valid. Nevertheless, does teenagers know that social media influence them in some way? Social networking is harming to a teens growth as it boosts their online identities, separates them from the universe of social connection, occupies their attention from television, and it also affects relationships. The 21st century has seen the internet change into a device that has made communication less severe and handier. This change occurred rapidly with thoughts of social networks that would allow the association of individuals in various nations. Teenagers, being the principle players of the online networks, has been caught *up in the blend of social networking as they have developed into a period where innovation has reformed the way individuals approach their day by day routines. However, because of the extreme measure of time spent on these sites, they are left to result in pessimistic consequences for their advancement.
Social media plays an immense role in the way that stereotypes about attractiveness is conveyed in regards to body image. As Gerbner and Gross wrote in 1976, the cultivation theory states that high frequency viewers of television are more susceptible to media messages and the belief that they are real and valid. The subjection to social media can cause an idealistic view amongst young girls and women alike. Among the mechanisms of human agency none is more central or pervasive than beliefs of personal efficacy (Bandura, 1997). This belief that these body types are achievable can lead to females being dissatisfied within their own skin. The result of the discontent can potentially lead to eating disorders. Body dissatisfaction occurs when views of the body are negative and involves a perceived discrepancy between a person 's assessment of their actual and ideal body (Cash and Szymanski, 1995 and Grogan, 2008). It is estimated that approximately 50% of adolescent girls report being unhappy with their bodies (Bearman, Presnell, & Martinez, 2006). Surveys have revealed that the exposure to social media can cause body dissatisfaction, eating disorder symptoms’ and the concept that thin is “beautiful” amongst young girls and women (Botta 1999; Harrison and Hefner 2006; and Stice et al. 1994). With media influence, the question is the strength of the effect, studies indicate the effects are small in scale; they are likely to operate in accordance with particular differences in
Social media plays an important role in the lives of teenagers and potentially young women. It can actually be a big influencer on their decisions being as it’s a place to express yourself in many ways even if those ways put off negative connotations to those around. Daily on social media you typically see a lot of ads, people who you might perceive as “beautiful” or “pretty”, along with statuses and pictures that talk about how the “perfect” relationship or person should be. As a teenager myself, I recognize that a lot of young girls struggle with finding themselves and wanting to be different. Females in general have a hard time This current generation of teenagers are more concerned with social media sites like facebook, instagram, twitter, and snapchat. More people are concerned with the number of likes or favorites they get rather than actual important or real world things. For a teen that struggles with self-esteem issues, it could be confusing to see a lot of “pretty” girls and not know why you don’t or can not look like them. Social media when used addictively has negative or harmful effects on young girls self-esteem.
Today, social media is used by almost all teens. There are so many unrealized negative effects of online apps that adolescents do not know about. In my paper, I wrote about how media can affect many parts of life. One of the quotes that helped demonstrate the great effect was written by Andrea McDaniels, “Studies have shown the around-the-clock world of social media takes a mental and emotional toll on some young people; it has been linked to increased anxiety, depression, and decreased relationship skills”. This showed the many different parts of life that can be impacted by onlinemedia. Overall, this research was inspiring to begin making change by bringing awareness to the numerous mental health risks associated with social media
Today’s society of young Americans are concerned with social media and the trends that are presented, but what makes something a trend? In the past couple of years, it seems like in order for something to be a trend white people have to like it and make it popular. The media portrays to everyone in America that these trends were originated or even inspired by white people, but this isn’t true. A lot of the trends that are happening are actually from black people whether it’s black people’s facial features, appearance or hairstyle. The trends today represent cultural appropriation by offending black people and taking credit for these trends. However, white people think trends are innocent and don’t understand why they can’t do the same things
73% of teenagers use what seems to be harmless, social media. Although it’s main function is to provide online communities for friends to interact on the internet, social media is a direct link to developing mental illnesses. Mental health is a very important issue, especially in the millennial generation, because it can impact a life drastically. Mental well-being is at risk when using social media because it flaunts what society considers “perfection” to be, can become easily addictive and social net workings can be a hostile environment. All of these issues that are promoted by social media or that exists there can seriously deteriorate mental health and drive illnesses forward.
Throughout the years, media has continually grown and has had a huge impact on people of all ages. According to the authors of “The Impact of Social Media on Children, Adolescents, and Families”, social media is both a blessing and a curse, social media encourages creativity, connection between peers, and helping shape ones individuality. However it also can lead to “Facebook depression” which is depression that develops when preteens and teens spend a great deal of time on social media sites, such as Facebook, and then begin to exhibit classic symptoms of depression.”(O’Keeffe and Clarke-Pearson). O’Keeffe and Clarke-Pearson also point out the flaws that social media has privacy, advertisements, and
Hi Vy, looking at the article “Influence of Social Media on Alcohol Use in Adolescents and Young Adults” by Megan A. Moreno, I thought the article was strong in showing how social media can have a negative influence on young adults. I really agree with the authors that alcohol advertisements on social media could be “of particular concern because it can easily reach adolescents and young adults under the legal drinking age”. I think that this quote is a great choice in showing the negative impacts of social media on young adults. I liked how you paraphrased it as “In Influence of Social Media on Alcohol Use in Adolescents and Young Adults, Megan and Jennifer cite through their study about the popular use of social media, that adolescents and
In a society that is constantly emphasizing the importance of physical appearence and trying to influence our canons of beauty, it is only natural that many people feel pressured to change something about their bodies, often leading to extremely unhealthy measures. With an ever-growing increase of the impact of social media on our lives, it is no coincidence that a study lead by King's College London and the UCL Institute of Child Health found there has been an increase of 15% in the people diagnosed with eating disorders between 2000 and 2013. As this a clear indicator that this kind of problem is becoming more and more dangerous in the 21st century
How the new social media technologies’ impacting on young people in today’s society? The study will examine the positive and negative impact of new media technologies on young people. It will explores on how new media technologies such as computer games, video games, face book, television, twitter, mobile phones, you tube, internet, television, whatsApp, Viber, Snap chat, and other modern technology are playing major role on everyday life in modern society.
Social media seems to be one of the many hot topics of discussion recently, and consequently many people have the false sense of security that they have a profound knowledge on how it affects the health of the teenage population. A sedentary lifestyle, decreased sleep, as well as other physical health conditions seem to come to mind when one links health and social media. However, there is a much bigger problem that can go unnoticed because it can be impossible to see: the impact it has on mental and emotional health. These branches of health are just as important, and even arguably more important than physical health is. Social media can be utilized to connect with distant friends and express oneself; however, teenagers should refrain from the overuse of social media due to its detrimental effects on their mental and emotional health.
Over the past several years’ social media, television, and other collective communication outlets have increasingly been displaying children, adolescents, and adults who are gender nonconforming. In films such as the 1999 Boys Don’t Cry and now the popular television show I am Cait, more attention has been given to those with the current diagnosis of Gender Dysphoria (GD) and/or those who define themselves as “transgendered” (Zuker et al., 2008). Despite this new attention, there is evidence that gender nonconforming individuals have existed in cultures in what would become the United States since the sixteenth century (Beemyn, 2014). However, the nomenclature, legislation, and societal understanding of those who are gender nonconforming have evolved in the United States, and the ways in which transgender identity has been formulated has greatly changed. These narratives reflect the political and larger societal understandings of gender and sex. In fact as a diagnostic classification, Gender Dysphoria (GD) remains a focus of much contemporary debate; as some critics argue that a formal diagnosis continues the history of pathologizing and stigmatizing groups that express variations from the norm (Zucker & Spitzer, 2005). The following paper will outline the development of the diagnostic classification of Gender Dysphoria, and discuss the history of the social, cultural, and legal understanding of gender nonconforming individuals.
In this day and age, it is rare to come across someone who doesn’t own a smart phone,
Some of the top benefits of social media over the years are that it is free to anyone, the content can get out to resources virtually immediately, and it can be delivered to a wide variety of people. For these reasons, communication through social media has become an extremely accessible and convenient way to communicate. It is also popular for those who need to be in contact with others. One example that comes to mind is a teenager who goes away on a trip to visit a friend or family. They can be hundreds of miles away but still talk to their parents as if they weren’t. Another example is a person who is shy and has a hard time making friends face-to-face, social media sites are a great way to meet people and build relationships.
Social media sites allow millions of people to interact with friends,family and anyone around the world. A large portion of social media users are teenagers; researchers and parents both believe that social media is having a multitude of possible effects on teenagers. This literature review will analyze research of the positive and negative effects social media are having on today’s impressionable youth. Much of the research focuses on the age range of 10-16 from well-to-do families and college students. Understanding the online environment that teenagers live in can help parents relate to their children and teach then about the dangers and benefits of being on the Internet.