Is Social Media Good Or Bad For Young People's Mental Health

 Social media is a modern phenomenon that has grown exponentially over the last two decades. Already, in a relatively short space of time, we have all been exposed to the various platforms and some embrace the technology more than others. We are also aware that it has lasting effects, many of which are negative. Here I will try to explore the effects of social media on the younger person and explain why the impact on the younger brain seems greater whether in a positive or a detrimental sense.

As it is such a global tool and spans all sections of the population, the research is relevant to practically all young people worldwide. Any findings that could improve outcomes could then apply across the world, free of boundaries, to mitigate or enhance the effects on all young people. There are clearly many advantages to the social media platform and if we can minimise any damage in a constructive way then many subsequent issues could be avoided.

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Social media use is here to stay so we should try to build awareness of all the pros and cons. At the moment there is no “warning” or code of use instructions for social media. Social media has not just been a platform for quick and easy online promotion tools that keeps business going, it is also a ‘game’ that young people like to play. They choose the media platforms as their own entertainment which has two ways of ending and most of the time it is not the end that we want to see.

As many young people will go through tough times, especially in their teenage years it definitely is a challenging time and also can be very heartbreaking.

Depression and anxiety is a significant risk factor for contributing to mental health. Many posts on social media do not reflect a true representation of peoples’ lives: photographs are airbrushed, happy events are exaggerated, and social media lives look better than they actually are. The fear of missing out could make many others feel inadequate or unimportant. Although it is nice to see others having fun, looking beautiful and seeming to be popular, the posts do not always represent reality. Anxiety and depression could result from a feeling of envy and dissatisfaction with life. In extreme cases those who find it hard to focus and concentrate and have ADHD are unable to develop the skills to focus for a long period. Teenage sucicide has sometimes been linked to social media as youths have not been able to cope with their own anxiety; there are even teenage suicide forums with advice on how to end it all. One in every four individuals experiences a significant negative psychological event in their lives and the most common age group with onset of challenges is between the ages of 18-30. This age group frequently uses social media and therefore are heavily influenced by what they see, precisely at the point in time when they are at a vulnerable age with less adapting or coping strategies.

 Development of the brain continues into our early/mid 20’s and it has been shown that young adults lack the maturity to distinguish between a safe or a dangerous situation, and are more likely to take emotional rather than rational decisions. This is just a biological fact and not influenced by our backgrounds or our education. Social media is a very powerful forum and teenagers are very susceptible to persuasion; peer group pressure is one of the most important influencers in their lives. If they are vulnerable they could be persuaded to take drugs, smoke or drink alcohol etc. Bullying is a contributory factor to substance misuse. The fallout effects cause victims to miss school and fall behind with learning. This, coupled with lack of sleep, explored below, due to anxiety means their ability to recover from the online bullying is hampered. It is imagined that addiction to social media influences around 5% of youngsters, and it was recently discovered that it is possibly more addictive than alcohol and cigarettes due to the release of endorphins, a feel good factor substance produced naturally in the body when one experiences a nice feeling or sensation. Each text, “like”, follower request etc essentially is an endorphin “hit”.

A major issue with social media and mental health comes with sleep deprivation. Those who had spent more time on social media were 2.2 times more at risk of reporting eating and body image concerns, compared to their peers who limited their time. Extensive time on social media can result in lack of sleep for all the reasons outlined above and this can cause a deeper more chronic depression,Lack of sleep is really toxic for the body as it needs time to rest, repair and recover. As teens and young adults are spending more time on social media their face to face learning and interaction is decreasing. Their ability to socially interact is hampered. This has a negative effect on teens and especially young adults as finding a job involves interviews and the ability to build rapport and get along with colleaguesPoor social skills at interview, even if the qualifications are superb, could result in no job offers because they are not able to communicate easily to people face to face.

The connection among eating and emotional wellness is bi-directional: one's mind-set or mental state can influence what and the amount one eats, and eating influences one's temperament and mental prosperity. The usage of social media right before bed gives a large negative effect on that person's sleep because of blue light emitted from these devices, delaying the release of sleep-inducing melatonin, a person will not have the best nice sleep they could possibly have as the light keeps the brain awake stopping them from falling asleep. Absence of rest prompts poor emotional wellness and vice versa. It also contributes to body image worries causing many teens to stop eating and do intense exercise often with no energy from food. Often, body image stereotypes are nonsensical and unachievable, and are perceived to be linked to better social positions and glamorous lifestyles. Many young people insist on having their phone on them at night and find it hard to switch off and go to sleep in case there is one more message coming in. Some parents insist that phones are left outside the bedroom so they can go to sleep and not be distracted; this is much better for the teen because they can fall asleep with less on their mind. For instance if they saw an image and felt a negative emotion from it that image would keep them awake because they may be worried about themselves, and once again it would come back to the body image worries.

One of the many reasons for mental health issues due to social media is online bullying. The bullying can escalate unchecked due to the ability to set up anonymous accounts. This is because many parents do not know what their child is doing on the platforms, so they can not control what is being said or done on the media. Hurtful, vicious words and images can be posted speedily at the click of a button and often to multiple recipients. The bully feels even more inclined to intimidate if they think they are hiding behind the blanket of anonymity, they have more of a cover to do what they like during the use of the social media apps and many people do not see the harm that is being done. There is an addictive element to social media such that the recipient is somehow drawn to check each and every reply, even knowing that all the previous posts have been nasty and offensive. The teenage and younger child’s brain is still immature and does not easily have the ability or the strength of character to ignore or delete the account, that maybe an adult would find easier to do. This in turn can cause a whole raft of other problems such as poor concentration and underperformance in school work as well as a withdrawn personality, this may even conclude to dropping out of school entirely. Dealing with cyberbullying is not easy however some methods include reporting the bully, sending a strongly worded reply or simply deleting and blocking that account. By doing this it shows the bully that the target does not want to listen or read anything they are sending, it tells the bully to go and stop hurting that person. In some cases it may require the recipient to set up a new account which has no reference or clue to their name and close their old one, taking care to only share their new details with trusted friends and sources. This way they can enjoy the positive sides of social media and not have to worry about any bullying they might receive.

However despite all of the bad influences that comes with social media, there are many positives from the platforms. For example; social media makes communicating quicker to access and it is immediate. This way, young adults and teens can interact more even if they are not together or at school; teenagers who struggle with face to face conversations, socialisation or social anxiety can talk to friends on social media. Active social media users are 63% less likely to experience significant psychological distress and have supporting care to increase individuals to reduce their disability. Youngsters can keep in contact with their friends during the evening, weekends and holidays, this way they can stay together even if they are apart and they can talk in a quick and easy way to keep connected. This is so they do not feel lonely, left out or isolated and this is positive because then there is a less risk of all the negatives that have been talked about and they can be avoided.

It is also a good learning tool and is an effective method to send information. It is quick and easy to contact others for information. With caution can be a force for good. It is a powerful source of information, support, advice, source of ideas. It gives young people access to a huge world outside of their environment, allowing them to investigate and explore what is right for them. Sensible limits of use of social media would help alleviate the disadvantages, but many youngsters find it very difficult to limit their time on it as it can be very addictive.

It is a useful tool but is a big time waster as many people will spend immortality on the platforms. Social media has differing effects depending on the age, gender and personality of the user. As a tool, it can be highly effective with differing pros and cons for both individual and business alike, it can increase the popularity of the business or company to make them more recognisable and to increase the sale of their product, or it also could be to help with the individual that is making money and doing their job to entertain people.

In conclusion, social media has differing effects depending on the age, gender and personality of the user. As a tool it can be highly effective with differing pros and cons for both individuals and businesses alike. It is readily available but like any tool, its effectiveness is dependent upon the skill, knowledge and training of the user. Also there is little historical data available to research and pass on and therefore this generation are effectively experiencing something for the first time, and once again it could have either a positive impact or a negative impact. Although research has been carried out in recent times about social media’s uses and dangers, there is quite clearly more work to be done as it is fairly new. There are no user guides, step by step set up manuals or any government warning of the side effects like on the packet of cigarettes. There are no guidelines on how long or how much is the recommended daily/weekly use time which should not be exceeded. We have guidance from the government for the maximum amount of weekly alcohol limits… why not the maximum time spent on social media?

Although research has been carried out in recent times about social media’s uses and dangers there is quite clearly more work to be done. Gathering evidence and doing the research will inevitably help people in the future and eventually I am sure there will be best practice principles teaching both parents and children about this vast subject.  

Works cited

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