Is Excessive Social Media Use in Teens Causing Anxiety and Depression?
"Social media is training us to compare our lives instead of appreciating everything we are. No wonder why everyone is always depressed" (Murray). While social media connects us with everyone, the overuse of it may lead to anxiety and depression. Phones have been around for decades now. Trouble did not begin until social media entered the picture. Millions of people use it every day. It's a place of community, communication, and expression. Businesses flourish with the help of social media. Though social media has a darker side to it. It harbors online trolls, predators, and unrealistic ideas. Teens today their worlds revolve around phones and social media. Causing them to spend hours on end liking, posting, and commenting on social media. studies have shown those teens who use excessive amounts of social media have anxiety or depression.
The first handheld phone came to us by Motorola in 1973. The world was changed from that day on. Smartphones came twenty or so years later. Giving the world convenience and touchable screens. Social media came to us in 1997 then took off in the 2000's. A study in October of 2023 showed "In total, 95 percent of U.S. teen had smart phone access at home" (Taylor). Almost 100 percent of the U.S. teens have access to phones. "Up to 95% of youth ages 13-17 report using a social media platform with more than a third saying they use social media "almost constantly" ("Social Media and Youth Mental Health: The U.S. Surgeon Generals Advisory"). The increase in usage has become concerning for parent's, care givers, and health experts. Spending excessive amounts of time on social media is affecting the youth. Creating body image issues, poor sleep patterns, anxiety, depression, and suicidal thoughts.
Their minds are fragile and still developing. Social media swoops in and rocks the boat. "Adolescent social media use is predictive of subsequent decrease in life satisfaction for certain development stages including for girls 11-13 years old and boys 14-15 years old. Because adolescence is a vulnerable period of brain development, social media warrants additional scrutiny" ("Social Media and Youth Mental Health: The U.S. Surgeon General's Advisory"). Growing up is difficult enough. Teens are finding out who they are and who their friends are, as well as where they belong. Social media adds unrealistic expectations. Creating a storm of questions in young minds. Am I thin enough? Is my hair the right length or color? When all they should be worried about is their homework, friends, and what's for dinner. "A longitudinal cohort study of U.S. adolescents aged 12-15(n=6,595) that adjusted for baseline mental health status found that adolescents who spent more than 3 hours per day on social media faced double the risk of experiencing poor mental health outcomes including symptoms of depression and anxiety" ("Social Media and Youth Mental Health: The U.S. Surgeon General's Advisory"). Teens are doubling their chances of poor mental health with excessive social media usage. Even more so for teens already struggling with mental health issues. Social media amplifies the struggle. Apps are creating low self-esteem, body image issues, eating disorders, and poor sleep quality. Teens are silently suffering from the excessive use of social media.
"Starting around the age 10, children's brains undergo a fundamental shift that spurs them to seek social rewards, including attention and approval from their peers" (Abrams). When receiving compliments or attention at a young age releases oxytocin and dopamine which are known as the happy hormones. "Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy, in his U.S. General's Advisory on Social Media and Youth Mental Health, writes. "Frequent social media use may be associated with distinct changes in the developing brain in the amygdala (important for emotional learning and behavior) and the prefrontal cortex (important for impulse control, emotional regulation, and moderating social behavior), and could increase sensitivity to social rewards and punishments" (Abrams). Their minds are so fragile and developing with social media around. Excessive of social media can damage the still developing brains in adolescence. Social media messes with the way one sleeps and concentrates or how one feels about themselves. By giving you a reward that you do not have to work for. "In fact, Harvard researchers have found that the dopamine released in response to receiving a like is equitable to the dopamine released while doing drugs like cocaine" (Gunter). Social media is comparable to drugs creating an addiction and we want young ones to roam free on it.
Social media includes YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook, Twitter (X). That is a lot of ground to cover. Almost be a full-time job managing all those applications. Lots of information within each app whether it be true or not true. Not all teens use every single app some more than others. "Roughly nine-in-ten teens say they use YouTube, making it the most widely used platform measured in our survey. Majorities of teens ages 13 to 17 say they use TikTok (63%), Snapchat (60%) and Instagram (59%). For older teens ages 15 to 17, these shares are about seven-in-ten" (Anderson, Faverio and Gottfried). The biggest was YouTube then following that was TikTok, Snapchat and Instagram. Place where they can create and feel included. A place where they may feel included may also turn into a place where they feel excluded. Upon further research Instagram and Twitter have been seen to have the most negative effect on a teen's mental health. "Instagram is consistently linked with poor mental health outcomes. It has the biggest negative impact on mental health of any social media platform. This has a lot to do with what people share on Instagram. Since it is used by influencers, celebrities, and models to portray a 'perfect' life, it leads to low self-esteem for many users (including those posting 'perfect' pictures)" ("The Negative Impact social Media Has On Your Mental Health"). Teens see those who they aspire to be like or look up to on social media. It does more harm than not. Displaying these happy perfect lives when off the screen it's not. But that is what the teens see. Causing mixed emotions, frustrations and sadness because their life isn't like that. Despair from feeling like they do dealt a bad hand or that they will never achieve that lifestyle.
"May your life be as awesome as your pretend it is on Facebook" (Swystun). No one's life on social media is the complete truth. Giving others false realities. Teen boys and girls comparing themselves to others make believe Instagram lives. Saddening their own hearts and minds because they do not look like that or have what they have. Not every teen is affected the same. How each teen uses social media will determine its effects. Viewing certain types of content will increase mental health risks. Such as illegal acts, self-harm or harm to others, eating disorders. Seeing those a teen may feel that it was relatable or a good idea to try. "Teens who post content also are at risk of sharing sexual photos or highly personal stories. This can lead to teens being bullied or harassed or even black mailed" ("Teens and Social Media use: What's the impact?"). Posts give others ammunition against you. Without some limitations teens will forever be at risk of anxiety and depression. Comparing themselves to others wishing to be someone that they aren't. Spending over an hour a day on social media almost doubles the risks of developing depression, anxiety or mental health issues. Not only that but teens are exposed to predators lurking about online. Boundaries, privacy and screen time limitations can protect teens from some of the repercussions of excessive social media use. It can become an addiction. Creating compulsive behavior and difficulty with detachment. Self-isolation and no social physical interactions causing a feeling of loneliness and depression. Without limitations on social media teens only friend will be a rectangular device. "Researchers have linked several aspects of social media use to depression and higher suicide risk. And according to the CDC, the suicide rate for male teens increased 31 percent between 2007 and 2015 and female teen suicides hit a 40-year high in 2015" (Bergman). Not only are teens at risk from anxiety and depression but losing their lives over social media and the bullies inside. Or the unrealistic expectations others put on display for all to see. Giving teens anxiety because they do not look a certain way or have luxury things. "A blog quoting social media expert Jamie Zelazny notes that teens of both genders who report using social media platforms more than two hours a day experience poor mental health outcome, including suicidal thoughts" (Bergman). Parents not only have to fear their teens develop anxiety and depression but must watch for suicidal tendencies. Guidance and limitations will help teens navigate this difficult part of growing up and have a more positive social media experience.
It'd be difficult to be rid of phones and social media all together. But somethings could be put in place to help manage time. Teens are making more online connections then physical connections. Parents could take it all away but that would create sneaky behavior or rebellion. Parents should talk to their teens about social media as well as some stuff they may see on it. Set some rules such as screen time limits during the week. Or no phones until homework is complete. Have an open-door policy let teens come to you if they have any questions or concerns. Approach them with caution and care so that they do not feel attacked. These tactics can only get parents so far with their teens.
Communicating with teens it's a huge portion of this issue. "Prohibit screen time That interferes with at least 8 hours of sleep to ensure healthy brain development" ("Keeping teens safe on social media: What parents should know to protect their kids"). Their minds are still trying to develop, and proper sleep plays a major role in brain development. "Unsupervised social media use is more likely to expose children to potentially harmful content and features of social media" ("Keeping teens safe on social media: What parents should know to protect their kids"). There needs to be some supervision online. Without it teens are at risk of spending hours on end online. Losing sleep, social skills and risks of developing anxiety and depression. Model healthy social media use as a parent. Teens will notice and pick up those same habits. Keep a watchful eye for problematic social media use. As a parent if you notice the following: online interactions over physical, strong craving to check social media, lying or deceptive social media use online. The child or teen may need professional help. Social media can become an addiction just like anything else. Communicate, observe, and set limits on screen time. Wait until the team is a little bit older to give them a cell phone and allowing them to use social media apps. In the long run excessive use on social media will double the teens risks for anxiety and depression. There needs to be limitations to protect them.
"What mental health needs is more sunlight, more candor and more unashamed conversation" (Close). The words mental health has a negative connotation when it shouldn't. It is so important especially in teens. It will shape them in how they become as adults. "One in six people are aged 10-19 years. Adolescence is a unique and formative time. Physical, emotional and social changes, including exposure to poverty, abuse, or violence, can make adolescents vulnerable to mental health problems. Protecting adolescents from adversity, promoting socio-emotional learning and psychological well-being, and ensuring access to mental health care are critical for their health and well-being during adolescence and adulthood. Globally, it is estimated that one in seven (14%) of 10-19-year-olds experience mental health conditions (1), yet these remain largely unrecognized and untreated. Adolescents with mental health conditions are particularly vulnerable to social exclusion, discrimination, stigma (affecting readiness to seek help), educational difficulties, risk-taking behaviors, physical ill-health and human rights violations" ("Mental Health of Adolescents"). So many teens go untreated or undiagnosed since they may fear shame or disbelief. When having those feelings teen up themselves more at risk of anxieties and depression. Without addressing the issue teens can carry mental health issues into adulthood. Mental health is crucial in development with young adults as it impacts their physical, emotional, self-esteems, relationships, and overall development. Healthy mental health will allow teens to create tough emotional regulations which help them be able to navigate social situations. Mental health can affect an adolescent's school life by preventing focus, abilities to learn, and performance. Which in toll can affect their future education and careers. It is so important to understand and protect mental health. By having good mental health, it makes life so much easier and happier. It allows us to cope with day-to-day endeavors and navigate through this crazy thing we call life. "Good mental health helps us live, socialize and manage stress better. It also allows us to be more resilient and better equipped to deal with difficult times in life. Mental health is important because it affects how we feel, relate to others, and think about our lives. It can affect whether or not we can enjoy life, have satisfying relationships and perform daily tasks while reducing stress" ("Why Is Mental Health Important?"). Deprived of good mental health can make our lives more of a constant struggle or failure to thrive in it. A healthy mental health will help us thrive and succeed. That is why it is so important to have it when you are young so in adulthood you thrive, seek happiness, and succeed in life.
Social media offers the world connections and communication but limits the physical connections. With social media small businesses can flourish immensely. With those benefits in mind social media isn't always rainbows and butterflies. Teens are spending over 3 hours a day on social media. Which is doubling their chances of developing anxiety or depression. Excessive time spent is influencing their sleep, eating habits and self-esteem. Structure needs to be put in place to protect or limit their exposure to the harmful side of social media. Setting screen time limitations, communicate, modeling healthy social media use as a parent. With those parents can create a healthy and moderate social media use with their teens. The only concern isn't just limiting screen time its making sure mental health is also a priority. Their minds are susceptible to so much at young ages. Social media can hurt their mental health's which left untreated or unnoticed can go into adulthood. Affecting their future educations and careers, how the develop relationships, or how they handle situations. Social media may not be the sole cause of teens anxiety, depression and mental health issues but should be paid close attention to how it's used and or abused.
"Social media is training us to compare our lives instead of appreciating everything we are. No wonder why everyone is always depressed" (Murray). While social media connects us with everyone, the overuse of it may lead to anxiety and depression. Phones have been around for decades now. Trouble did not begin until social media entered the picture. Millions of people use it every day. It's a place of community, communication, and expression. Businesses flourish with the help of social media. Though social media has a darker side to it. It harbors online trolls, predators, and unrealistic ideas. Teens today their worlds revolve around phones and social media. Causing them to spend hours on end liking, posting, and commenting on social media. studies have shown those teens who use excessive amounts of social media have anxiety or depression.
The first handheld phone came to us by Motorola in 1973. The world was changed from that day on. Smartphones came twenty or so years later. Giving the world convenience and touchable screens. Social media came to us in 1997 then took off in the 2000's. A study in October of 2023 showed "In total, 95 percent of U.S. teen had smart phone access at home" (Taylor). Almost 100 percent of the U.S. teens have access to phones. "Up to 95% of youth ages 13-17 report using a social media platform with more than a third saying they use social media "almost constantly" ("Social Media and Youth Mental Health: The U.S. Surgeon Generals Advisory"). The increase in usage has become concerning for parent's, care givers, and health experts. Spending excessive amounts of time on social media is affecting the youth. Creating body image issues, poor sleep patterns, anxiety, depression, and suicidal thoughts.
Their minds are fragile and still developing. Social media swoops in and rocks the boat. "Adolescent social media use is predictive of subsequent decrease in life satisfaction for certain development stages including for girls 11-13 years old and boys 14-15 years old. Because adolescence is a vulnerable period of brain development, social media warrants additional scrutiny" ("Social Media and Youth Mental Health: The U.S. Surgeon General's Advisory"). Growing up is difficult enough. Teens are finding out who they are and who their friends are, as well as where they belong. Social media adds unrealistic expectations. Creating a storm of questions in young minds. Am I thin enough? Is my hair the right length or color? When all they should be worried about is their homework, friends, and what's for dinner. "A longitudinal cohort study of U.S. adolescents aged 12-15(n=6,595) that adjusted for baseline mental health status found that adolescents who spent more than 3 hours per day on social media faced double the risk of experiencing poor mental health outcomes including symptoms of depression and anxiety" ("Social Media and Youth Mental Health: The U.S. Surgeon General's Advisory"). Teens are doubling their chances of poor mental health with excessive social media usage. Even more so for teens already struggling with mental health issues. Social media amplifies the struggle. Apps are creating low self-esteem, body image issues, eating disorders, and poor sleep quality. Teens are silently suffering from the excessive use of social media.
"Starting around the age 10, children's brains undergo a fundamental shift that spurs them to seek social rewards, including attention and approval from their peers" (Abrams). When receiving compliments or attention at a young age releases oxytocin and dopamine which are known as the happy hormones. "Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy, in his U.S. General's Advisory on Social Media and Youth Mental Health, writes. "Frequent social media use may be associated with distinct changes in the developing brain in the amygdala (important for emotional learning and behavior) and the prefrontal cortex (important for impulse control, emotional regulation, and moderating social behavior), and could increase sensitivity to social rewards and punishments" (Abrams). Their minds are so fragile and developing with social media around. Excessive of social media can damage the still developing brains in adolescence. Social media messes with the way one sleeps and concentrates or how one feels about themselves. By giving you a reward that you do not have to work for. "In fact, Harvard researchers have found that the dopamine released in response to receiving a like is equitable to the dopamine released while doing drugs like cocaine" (Gunter). Social media is comparable to drugs creating an addiction and we want young ones to roam free on it.
Social media includes YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook, Twitter (X). That is a lot of ground to cover. Almost be a full-time job managing all those applications. Lots of information within each app whether it be true or not true. Not all teens use every single app some more than others. "Roughly nine-in-ten teens say they use YouTube, making it the most widely used platform measured in our survey. Majorities of teens ages 13 to 17 say they use TikTok (63%), Snapchat (60%) and Instagram (59%). For older teens ages 15 to 17, these shares are about seven-in-ten" (Anderson, Faverio and Gottfried). The biggest was YouTube then following that was TikTok, Snapchat and Instagram. Place where they can create and feel included. A place where they may feel included may also turn into a place where they feel excluded. Upon further research Instagram and Twitter have been seen to have the most negative effect on a teen's mental health. "Instagram is consistently linked with poor mental health outcomes. It has the biggest negative impact on mental health of any social media platform. This has a lot to do with what people share on Instagram. Since it is used by influencers, celebrities, and models to portray a 'perfect' life, it leads to low self-esteem for many users (including those posting 'perfect' pictures)" ("The Negative Impact social Media Has On Your Mental Health"). Teens see those who they aspire to be like or look up to on social media. It does more harm than not. Displaying these happy perfect lives when off the screen it's not. But that is what the teens see. Causing mixed emotions, frustrations and sadness because their life isn't like that. Despair from feeling like they do dealt a bad hand or that they will never achieve that lifestyle.
"May your life be as awesome as your pretend it is on Facebook" (Swystun). No one's life on social media is the complete truth. Giving others false realities. Teen boys and girls comparing themselves to others make believe Instagram lives. Saddening their own hearts and minds because they do not look like that or have what they have. Not every teen is affected the same. How each teen uses social media will determine its effects. Viewing certain types of content will increase mental health risks. Such as illegal acts, self-harm or harm to others, eating disorders. Seeing those a teen may feel that it was relatable or a good idea to try. "Teens who post content also are at risk of sharing sexual photos or highly personal stories. This can lead to teens being bullied or harassed or even black mailed" ("Teens and Social Media use: What's the impact?"). Posts give others ammunition against you. Without some limitations teens will forever be at risk of anxiety and depression. Comparing themselves to others wishing to be someone that they aren't. Spending over an hour a day on social media almost doubles the risks of developing depression, anxiety or mental health issues. Not only that but teens are exposed to predators lurking about online. Boundaries, privacy and screen time limitations can protect teens from some of the repercussions of excessive social media use. It can become an addiction. Creating compulsive behavior and difficulty with detachment. Self-isolation and no social physical interactions causing a feeling of loneliness and depression. Without limitations on social media teens only friend will be a rectangular device. "Researchers have linked several aspects of social media use to depression and higher suicide risk. And according to the CDC, the suicide rate for male teens increased 31 percent between 2007 and 2015 and female teen suicides hit a 40-year high in 2015" (Bergman). Not only are teens at risk from anxiety and depression but losing their lives over social media and the bullies inside. Or the unrealistic expectations others put on display for all to see. Giving teens anxiety because they do not look a certain way or have luxury things. "A blog quoting social media expert Jamie Zelazny notes that teens of both genders who report using social media platforms more than two hours a day experience poor mental health outcome, including suicidal thoughts" (Bergman). Parents not only have to fear their teens develop anxiety and depression but must watch for suicidal tendencies. Guidance and limitations will help teens navigate this difficult part of growing up and have a more positive social media experience.
It'd be difficult to be rid of phones and social media all together. But somethings could be put in place to help manage time. Teens are making more online connections then physical connections. Parents could take it all away but that would create sneaky behavior or rebellion. Parents should talk to their teens about social media as well as some stuff they may see on it. Set some rules such as screen time limits during the week. Or no phones until homework is complete. Have an open-door policy let teens come to you if they have any questions or concerns. Approach them with caution and care so that they do not feel attacked. These tactics can only get parents so far with their teens.
Communicating with teens it's a huge portion of this issue. "Prohibit screen time That interferes with at least 8 hours of sleep to ensure healthy brain development" ("Keeping teens safe on social media: What parents should know to protect their kids"). Their minds are still trying to develop, and proper sleep plays a major role in brain development. "Unsupervised social media use is more likely to expose children to potentially harmful content and features of social media" ("Keeping teens safe on social media: What parents should know to protect their kids"). There needs to be some supervision online. Without it teens are at risk of spending hours on end online. Losing sleep, social skills and risks of developing anxiety and depression. Model healthy social media use as a parent. Teens will notice and pick up those same habits. Keep a watchful eye for problematic social media use. As a parent if you notice the following: online interactions over physical, strong craving to check social media, lying or deceptive social media use online. The child or teen may need professional help. Social media can become an addiction just like anything else. Communicate, observe, and set limits on screen time. Wait until the team is a little bit older to give them a cell phone and allowing them to use social media apps. In the long run excessive use on social media will double the teens risks for anxiety and depression. There needs to be limitations to protect them.
"What mental health needs is more sunlight, more candor and more unashamed conversation" (Close). The words mental health has a negative connotation when it shouldn't. It is so important especially in teens. It will shape them in how they become as adults. "One in six people are aged 10-19 years. Adolescence is a unique and formative time. Physical, emotional and social changes, including exposure to poverty, abuse, or violence, can make adolescents vulnerable to mental health problems. Protecting adolescents from adversity, promoting socio-emotional learning and psychological well-being, and ensuring access to mental health care are critical for their health and well-being during adolescence and adulthood. Globally, it is estimated that one in seven (14%) of 10-19-year-olds experience mental health conditions (1), yet these remain largely unrecognized and untreated. Adolescents with mental health conditions are particularly vulnerable to social exclusion, discrimination, stigma (affecting readiness to seek help), educational difficulties, risk-taking behaviors, physical ill-health and human rights violations" ("Mental Health of Adolescents"). So many teens go untreated or undiagnosed since they may fear shame or disbelief. When having those feelings teen up themselves more at risk of anxieties and depression. Without addressing the issue teens can carry mental health issues into adulthood. Mental health is crucial in development with young adults as it impacts their physical, emotional, self-esteems, relationships, and overall development. Healthy mental health will allow teens to create tough emotional regulations which help them be able to navigate social situations. Mental health can affect an adolescent's school life by preventing focus, abilities to learn, and performance. Which in toll can affect their future education and careers. It is so important to understand and protect mental health. By having good mental health, it makes life so much easier and happier. It allows us to cope with day-to-day endeavors and navigate through this crazy thing we call life. "Good mental health helps us live, socialize and manage stress better. It also allows us to be more resilient and better equipped to deal with difficult times in life. Mental health is important because it affects how we feel, relate to others, and think about our lives. It can affect whether or not we can enjoy life, have satisfying relationships and perform daily tasks while reducing stress" ("Why Is Mental Health Important?"). Deprived of good mental health can make our lives more of a constant struggle or failure to thrive in it. A healthy mental health will help us thrive and succeed. That is why it is so important to have it when you are young so in adulthood you thrive, seek happiness, and succeed in life.
Social media offers the world connections and communication but limits the physical connections. With social media small businesses can flourish immensely. With those benefits in mind social media isn't always rainbows and butterflies. Teens are spending over 3 hours a day on social media. Which is doubling their chances of developing anxiety or depression. Excessive time spent is influencing their sleep, eating habits and self-esteem. Structure needs to be put in place to protect or limit their exposure to the harmful side of social media. Setting screen time limitations, communicate, modeling healthy social media use as a parent. With those parents can create a healthy and moderate social media use with their teens. The only concern isn't just limiting screen time its making sure mental health is also a priority. Their minds are susceptible to so much at young ages. Social media can hurt their mental health's which left untreated or unnoticed can go into adulthood. Affecting their future educations and careers, how the develop relationships, or how they handle situations. Social media may not be the sole cause of teens anxiety, depression and mental health issues but should be paid close attention to how it's used and or abused.
