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Social Media Effects On Mental Illnesses

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Mental illnesses such as anxiety and depression affect countless people on a daily basis. These illnesses can result in tragedy due to the emotional pain they may bring. Depression can lead to suicide if it is left untreated. According to mental health experts, the rising rates of adolescent anxiety and depression is caused by smartphones and social media. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration noted that in 2016, around thirteen percent of teenagers in the United States, between the ages of twelve to seventeen, had at least one major depressive episode in the past year compared to almost eight percent in 2006. The rates for teenagers ages eighteen and nineteen also increased. More than eleven percent had a major depressive …show more content…

According to Statista, the average sixteen to twenty-four year old uses social media on average four hours a day (Statista). In another survey administered in 2015 by the Pew Research Center found that 15 percent of Americans between the ages eighteen and twenty-nine were “heavily dependent” on their smartphones for online access (Russo, Marcello, et al). In a study published in the Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication found that young people that gave up their phones performed worse on mental tasks and showed symptoms of withdrawal much like drug addicts. The study found that when phone users were without their phones their heart rate and blood pressure increased along with feelings of anxiety and unpleasantness (Clayton, Leshner, et …show more content…

Social media has become a huge part of society around the world, and it is only going to increase. Although social media can have a lot of negative effects on mental health, it has some positive sides to it. People use social media for many reasons. It helps people keep in touch with family members and friends that may not live nearby. It also helps create friendships with people within one’s area, community, school, or from around the world. And since much of the world is on social media, news is received much faster and many become educated on things they would have not known about if it weren’t for social media. Social media plays an important role in the life of students especially. It is easier and more convenient to access and provide information through social media. Teachers and students can stay connected through these platforms. Some professors even hold lectures on certain social media platforms such as

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In the early 2000’s social media surfaced and provided new means of communication worldwide. As social media emerged in the modern world, certain factors in daily human life have shifted. The use of social media apps like Instagram, Facebook, and Snapchat can have positive and negative effects on users. Some users have experienced depression, bullying, and harassment due to the anonymous aspect of online platforms. Social media has also introduced various communities full of support to those in need, creating connections between friends, families, and coworkers.

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In recent discussions of smartphones, a controversial issue has been how the excessive use of smartphones are affecting the adolescents of this generation. Jean M. Twenge argues in her article, “Have Smartphones Destroyed a Generation?” that the redundant use of these gadgets along with social media use is in fact detrimental to the current and upcoming generations. My experience using Snapchat, Instagram, and other applications on my smartphone supports Twenge’s stance because the excessive use of these applications has caused me to feel melancholic. According to Twenge, “Psychologically, however, they (iGens) are more vulnerable than Millennials were: Rates of teen depression and suicide have skyrocketed since 2011.

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“These findings suggest that some may need to re-establish control over the technology they use, rather than being controlled by it,” says Anxiety UK CEO, Nicky Lidbetter. The found that two-thirds of responders had problems sleeping after using social media and 25 percent admitted to difficulty in relationships because of “confrontational online” behavior. These new findings back up or better prove other information on social media addiction. In other recent studies, particularly being the Mobile Mindset study by Lookout, 73 percent of people admitted they would panic if they lost their phone and another 54 percent admitted to checking their phone their phone in bed and before they go to sleep. This shows the addiction and the need to always

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“Social media may improve physical and mental health by providing a sense of community and reducing individual stress.” (Purdy) People coming together to create healthy environments can be beneficial. Unfortunately, the idea of community is rare and negativity is more common on social media. “Social media provides individuals with a myriad of opportunities that allow them to boost self-esteem.” (Purdy) Making friends and receiving and posting positive commentary and feedback can create an environment online that is positive and can make individuals feel like they are worthy and happy.

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Social media is more beneficial than risky, as the positive effects can be good for more than just one person at a time. In “Teens Say Social Media Isn’t As Bad For Them As You Might Think” by Katie Notopoulos, it’s stated that “71% [of the students] said it helps them show their creative side. and 68% feel like they have people who support them through times,” (1). It shows that people actually support others they see on social media. From the article “This is Your Brain on Instagram” by Kelly McSweeney, it’s said “When you get a social media notification, your brain sends a chemical messenger called dopamine along a reward pathway, which makes you feel good” (6).

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While this doesn’t initially sound like a bad thing, it can become incredibly overstimulating to be expected to use social media in order to stay connected to society. Although we may not consciously realize it, social media websites such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter have been said to possibly increase depression and anxiety. According to Sherry Turkle, MIT professor and author of Alone Together: Why We Expect More from Technology and Less from Each Other, “Social media feeds this anxiety about being alone with our thoughts and prevents us from learning to enjoy our own company.” This anxiety created heightens the awareness of being truly alone, one we are becoming increasingly unfamiliar with as a society. Ultimately, whatever the root cause may be, this drastic increase of mental illness in the past couple decades is undoubtedly alarming and is rightfully up for many ethical debates.

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Pantic (2015) indicated that a relationship does exist between social networking sites and mental health issues and that these issues are connected to symptoms of depression, changes in self-esteem, and Internet addiction. Charles-Smith et. al. (2015) also determines that social media platforms could be used to promote

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More people nowadays are often resorting to social media as a way to communicate and cope about personal experiences of mental health such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Tumblr (Segreto 2018). Social media can help shape our understandings of the world around us, and at times, it can distort reality. Media platforms can positively impact our understandings of mental health and those who suffer from it, that include feeling a sense of community and sharing similar interests as others on a sensitive topic (Segreto 2018). In the article, “#timetotalk: Is social media helping people talk about mental health?” , many popular Youtubers, such as Rebecca Brown and Laura Lejeune, comment on their experiences of mental health on a new social media platform intended to feature videos and discussion boards relating to personal experiences of mental disorders.

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In fact, it is difficult nowadays for teens to go anywhere without their phones, they have them when they go to school, to the bathroom, while eating, while having conversations, doing homework and even while in bed). Adolescent’s phone is like an extension of themselves and without it they consider life as very stressful when they are unable to ‘stay connected with their social media friends. There are many social networking sites and each are unique with their offerings but the one theme is that they keep you informed and connected. From the days of My Space to the most popular Facebook; Instagram and Twitter to name a few, there is no doubt that social media has had a significant

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Before human developed social networking, people use the paper to write something to tell someone with mail. Nowadays, we are using social networking such as Facebook messenger and G-mail to talk someone quickly instead waiting mail for long time to receive. It makes our live simple, but it may seem harmful. There are some ways social networking may affect our mental health. In 2012, Medical News Today reported on a study suggesting “Facebook use may feed anxiety and increase a person's feeling of inadequacy.”

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As the technology era change over time, the social media becomes an important part of our life. We use social media to connect with friends and family, also to found out the latest news or fashion trends. Especially after the great success of Facebook, many other social media follow along such as Snapchat and Instagram. Numerous young age children gradually sink into the virtual world of Social Media. According to the Pew Research Center survey, that majority of Americans use Facebook and YouTube, but young adults are especially heavy users of Snapchat and Instagram.

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Occasional bad moods or acting out is to be expected, but depression is something different. Depression can destroy the very essence of a teenager’s personality, causing an overwhelming sense of sadness, despair, or anger. Depression is not just something that spurred out of nowhere. It is THE effect of multiple issues that have never been addressed properly by an individual to his or her elders.

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