Research Papers / Social Media's Negative Impact on Individuals [2]

Social media impacts young users negatively and continues to impact their mental health. Historically, the media has been around for centuries. However, the usage of it recently has only increased. While there can be benefits, this does lead to many negative effects on the users. Seen in many websites and articles, it is commonly agreed that parents should monitor their child's social media usage more frequently. The intended audience specifics towards parents, but includes adults with child engagement, teachers, and young individuals themselves. Because of the increased usage in media use, young individuals are receiving negative impacts including mental disorders, body issues, and lack of sleep. This essay will demonstrate the effects of social media as well as how it has changed throughout the years.

Media has been accessible and addictive in many forms for years, making it gain in popularity. Mentioned in LumenLearning's fascinating article describing the history of media, "In the early decades of the 20th century, the first major nonprint form of mass media-radio-exploded in popularity." This is able to support the fact that even if media isn't visible on a telephone, it is still accessible in other forms. The exposure caused a major increase, and popularity. This was able to quickly shift from newspaper, to broadcasts, and in today's world, telephones. Radio provided audible access to news and music. Broadcasts and televisions provided visuals, stories, and more into the homes of the users. The internet later brought in unlimited and nonstop access to those with it. Smartphones provided every single form of media into one singular device. The availability, entertainment, and modernized content kept the users constantly engaged. Media has always been popular since people could get their hands on it, but what was underestimated is the impact and growth it could have. The media has the power to influence its audience due to its growing popularity. This includes influencing opinions, culture, and even people's daily lives. While the media evolves, the consequences do too.

As the accessibility in social media began to expand, so did the impacts. Users have received many different types of side effects. This includes, but is not limited to, mental health and increasing addiction. The side effects may lead to anxiety, depression, sleep issues, and self- esteem issues. A common thought is for parents to monitor usage more when it comes to young children, however this is not as approached as it is thought to be. While there are a list of ways to keep an eye on your child's screen time, it is not taken advantage of. This may be due to the parent controls being considered difficult, or just the lack of understanding how to set it up. Due to this, the impacts remain on not only older users, but also young individuals who take part in social media. Young users means a more vulnerable audience, which allows the platforms to have a larger influence. These users tend to be more naive as their brains are still in the developmental process and can believe what is not true. This can also need more exposure to harmful content. Examples of this may be unrealistic body expectations, the use of filters changing one's appearance, and misinformation. The impacts grow as the accessibility does due to features that can increase one's addiction. This includes notifications, the easy act of scrolling, and successful algorithm advantages. As these platforms continue to grow, users of all ages are impacted in ways that can be overlooked.

Varying from emotional and behavioral, social media has many effects on users. Mental health is a well-known factor that becomes ignored due to the attention spent on devices. In much of my research, it is found that addictions to technology and social media have led to many disorders including depression, anxiety, and more. Highlighted in the Mayo Clinic Staff's article on the impact of teens' social media use, a study concluded that teens who use social media more than 3 hours a day have led to a higher mental health concern. It is common for social media to be used multiple times a day, but if the addiction grows, it has deeper effects. UCDavis' blog on mental health links to social media mentions included situations that the media has to offer impacting users such as fear of missing out, cyberbullying, and filters. Fear of missing out could include your friends posting photos of them hanging out, and you realize you weren't there. This has obvious ushers to anxiety and a feeling of being upset. Another major issue is cyberbullying. Cyberbullying is easy to do online unfortunately, and social media offers perfect platforms to do so. Being cyberbullied has many impacts such as depression and self-esteem issues. Similarly applying emotional pressure, filters can also cause self-esteem issues. People have the advantage to edit themselves and look "fake" when they post. Seeing this regularly causes body issues and wishing differently upon one's physical appearance. Many of these situations are all due to social media and the advantages people have online compared to face-to-face interactions. Combined, these issues demonstrate how serious the lasting consequences social media can have on its users' mental health.

Many situations developed due to social media can have long term impacts on those involved. While this does include cyberbullying, filters, and "fomo," it is not limited to these. "Fomo," meaning "fear of missing out," can be caused by viewing others' activities while on social media. Cyberbullying is harassment or harming another person digitally. As an individual experiences this, their mental health can be at risk. Similarly, the act of posting content and viewing it can also cause harm to an individual. As events and activities are posted publicly, this can cause viewers to think lowly of themselves because of comparison. This may cause users to feel unsuccessful or disappointed in their own lives. Filters also portray this demonstration, but in a different manner. Filters can change the way someone looks online, and is commonly used on social media platforms. Filters create unrealistic expectations on appearances. This unhealthy add on to posting can impact people's self- confidence and pride. Side effects may include loneliness, social withdrawal, and pressure. These situations are seen way more often and seen as normal as the content viewed contributes.

Even though many individuals have experienced negative situations through the media, there are contrasting opinions on the impacts. All users have different personalities as well as different purposes to be in the media. However, it is because of the ways it is used that makes up the impacts. Mentioned in the Mayo Clinic Staff's article, healthy media usage is possible. This can be due to people being more introverted, and looking for non-intimidating ways to interact with others. These people may find it easier to express themselves online. Long-distance relationships are also a good example of a positive way people can use media. While there are still safety reasons people could bring up, it does allow those who struggle in person to work with others in their own way. Many examples of unsafe situations found while using the media include the accessibility to talk to strangers, privacy features, and others that can be limited depending on the control. There are many other ways media is seen as beneficial including a sense of belonging, social connections, and self-expression. Highlighted in the American Academy of Pediatrics, "Positive experiences on social media include access to communities, social support, and learning new information." This article brings up many points that are less talked about and provide support in healthy social media lifestyles. Recognizing the difference between healthy and unhealthy social media usage allows for mindfulness of the engagement on media.

While there are popular positive experiences, there remains the risk of negative impacts. I can agree with the advantages of self-expression and finding community online, but in the real world this won't be beneficial in the long run. For example, if you meet a friend online, internet outage will now cause you to lose the interaction. This simple situation can lead to a friendship that is cut off. While online interactions can be very fun, they remain only through a screen and include no physical contact. The relationships online may be fun, but do not include the real- world connections such as tone of voice and body language. The American Academy of Pediatrics highlights how even though it can be used positively, the negative positions remain the same. They state, "Negative experiences on social media usually involve comparing oneself to others, seeing negative content, unwanted contact and harassment, or displacing other experiences." You still have positive opportunities, but staying aware of how you are using media can keep you from being worstly impacted.

On an individual level, there are many ways to approach fixing social media addictions and avoid the negative impacts. As people use social media daily, small habits can influence their mental health in better ways. Short term fixes include paying attention to your amount of usage, how you use it, and how you feel during the process. This would be beneficial to an individual due to an understanding of how the media makes them feel, and realizing what had happened. In hopes to avoid this feeling in the future, they would then be able to keep away from similar actions in the media. If someone notices a pattern that their mental health becomes worsened when doing something specific on their phone, they can identify the trigger. In simpler methods, other ideas in order to keep social media from interfering with an individual can vary. These methods may include things as simple as turning off notifications, in order to avoid the constant action of re-opening or being reminded. Others may be finding an interest in other hobbies, take breaks, and control what it is on your feed. Viewing something constantly that makes you upset will only continue if it is not dealt with on your device, which is why controlling your feed will be beneficial. This task is easy and quick. Finding other hobbies may take more effort, but can be done in any amount of time if determined. Taking breaks from scrolling is the quickest action that will allow for other hobbies as well as separating your mind from devices. Overall, a quick fix to ending your unhealthy use of social media is to be highly aware of what is happening throughout the entire process. Practicing these strategies of awareness can fix momentary habits, and create an approach in solving these issues.

In order to fix the issues that social media users constantly face, long term solutions are necessary. A commonly acknowledged task is for parents to monitor their children's usage. While I highly recommend this to prevent your child from experiencing any sorts of harm or trauma from social media, the tools to do this are not as taken advantage of as it would be thought to. Many parents do not have any control over what their parents are sourced to through technology, nor how long they consume the entertainment. There are many strategies such as in-app safety features, privacy settings, and of course, honesty with your child. Other approaches may be less involved, but support the idea of fixing the societal issue of poor mental health due to media consumption. One of these solutions is to work personally on your mental health to find a repair process. These steps may include working on self- esteem, creating positive habits, or even slowly building a separation from the media. Similarly to this, focusing on real life connections is a helpful strategy. Especially to those who tend to be more introverted- social media is seen as a social escape, which is why working on strong social connections in real life will help get rid of the addiction. A more involved and extreme long term solution would impact not only the users, but also the platforms themselves. These platforms have the advantage to influence their users in any way they please. To benefit their audience on a personal level, an idea of this would be to support the decrease in media use. This does not have to imply a full stop of usage, but rather a limited screen time. By doing so, users are supported by the platforms themselves to get off of their devices, use their brains in another activity, and be independent without media for their entertainment. This could be taken to a more intense level and require a ban on media, which would be the impactful solution.

Some people may not separate themselves from social media. There is constant routine and stimulation that comes from the use. The addiction and dependence on social media isn't only the act of scrolling itself, but also includes entertainment, feelings of emotion, and more. You have the ability to receive distractions, comfort, and validation for whatever is being seeked. Many people rely on the media for different reasons, which is why it may not be easier to find a distraction. If a physical separation cannot occur, there are still solutions. These physical separations would include boundaries from certain apps, controlling your content, or limiting yourself to accessibility. To avoid getting a negative experience while using media, it is helpful to at least be educated and aware of what you are doing with it. Real life examples of this may include the avoidance of using filters when posting, focusing on the fun of it rather than the comparisons, and using it responsibly. This may also include emphasizing self- expression rather than seeking validation from others, as well as blocking harmful content. By using social media in healthy ways, the addiction may continue, but one's mental health will be less at risk. While the goal may not be to quit completely, there is still a possibility to have a balanced relationship with social media rather than it being only a stressor.

Social media use contributes to a wide range of negative impacts on young individuals, and all users. Encouraging parents to monitor their child's use can limit these impacts on children. Individually, if a user worked on being aware of their participation on social media and their results after, it can make a personal difference. Each user could remain aware of the potential risks that come with using the media and pick up the habits that reduce it. Increasing awareness for not only children, but for all users promotes a safer environment and healthier habits. As the media constantly is growing, promoting healthy strategies and prioritizing mental health will prevent further consequences and harmful use.

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