by Meghan Wolfe
A 13-year-old girl is walking on a treadmill at school. Her classmate takes a picture of her and posts it on social media, with a caption about her weight. While the video travels across social media sites, hundreds of comments are being hurled at her from people she doesn’t even know addressing things from her body type to her personal life and sexuality. This is cyberbullying. By 12, most kids have a smartphone, tablet, or access to the internet. Sarah Coyne, who headed a study at Brigham Young University, tells us that thirteen years of age is approximately the age where teenagers, especially girls, are starting to understand the depravity and negativity that the internet has to offer, including cyberbullying, negative body image comparisons, and FOMO- the fear of missing out (qtd in “10-year Study…”). Around the world, adolescents spend an inordinate amount of time on social media, some even admit to over 20 hours per week (O’Reilly). Worldwide, about 83% of young adults have an average of seven social media accounts (Sasso et al). A survey taken in 2018 said 95% of teens aged 13-17 had their own mobile device, and over 70% checked social media several times per day, and more than half admitted that social media is a huge distraction. (“Survey finds 95%”). When the cyberbullying didn’t stop, this 13-year-old was driven into her bedroom, where she locked the door and threatened to kill herself, unintentionally lending her life to the statistics. This research essay will discuss the correlation of social media use to the uprising of adolescent mental health issues. It will cover topics such as adolescent brain development, causation of mental health issues, and the negative impact of social media use regarding an adolescent’s mental health. Understanding how the two connect can better help to prevent mental health problems in a teen’s life. Let’s start with basic brain functions of a teenager and why they are more susceptible to the harmful effects of internet overuse.
While depression is a growing concern for people of all ages, adolescents are more susceptible to the influences of outside sources, based on underdeveloped brain and behavioral systems. In late adolescence, Laurence Steinberg says that studying the color of a human brain can suggest that there is still time to develop brain and cognitive systems. In the same article, it's highlighted that though humans can still mature in their patterns later in life, much of the brain development in younger years is very important to the regulation of behavior and emotion, as well as perception and evaluation. (69). Puberty brings changes in arousal and motivational behaviors when the frontal lobe hasn’t fully developed. In childhood years, humans show improvements in reasoning, how they process information, and even in experience and expertise (70). There is significant growth to the prefrontal cortex through childhood and adolescence, including improvements of functioning, self-regulation, metacognition, self-evaluation, and planning (70). Fifty percent of mental health problems begin by the age of 14. Younger adolescents are more susceptible to the negative effects of social media, as their identity and capacity for self-regulation are underdeveloped (Mundy et al). Other underdeveloped abilities include cognitive abilities, which solidify in adolescence and continue into adulthood (Sasso et al). To better correlate brain function with internet usage, let’s dissect some social media statistics to better understand why healthy internet usage is so important in adolescent years.
Early adolescence is a time of increased internet and social networking use. In a longitudinal study, the average age of social media usage is less than 12 years old, which is terrifying, since most sites require an age requirement of at least 12 (Mundy et al, 545). 6-12-year-olds that use social media for even an hour a day can be severely impacted into subclinical levels of mental health problems (551). With younger and younger individuals flocking to the internet for relaxation, a sense of calm, and distraction, there are many things to worry about. Stalking, obsession, and cyberbullying are three huge worries in the online community and can be especially traumatizing for adolescents. Cyberbullying on social media can have a hugely negative effect on teens, affecting about 37%, with over half of those teens being bullied in more than one way (Patchin). This behavior is one of the most traumatizing actions taken on the internet, and if engaged or absorbed, can alter the way a person sees themself. Cyberbullying is more common than one might think, and without properly developed mental abilities, a person’s brain can respond in a negative way. With the internet literally at their fingertips, teens have a high likelihood of being affected by social media in terms of poor mental health, including, but not limited to, anxiety, depression, loneliness, FOMO, isolation, self-absorption, self- harm, and suicidal thoughts (Robinson and Smith).
What exactly is considered OVERuse of social media? Being connected through social networks can ease stress, aid in relationships and communication, boost -worth, and even add years to life (Robinson and Smith). When frequented too often, however, increasingly negative side effects can be obtained. Overuse can diminish self-image, create relationship problems, and leave a person feeling like their life, and everything and everyone in it, isn’t good enough. The fear of missing out can be associated with social media and can leave one constantly wondering what people are doing, and if it is more exciting. They end up passively scrolling their feed, Soon, don’t even know what they are looking at. They have stopped engaging altogether. They feel irritated and overwhelmed. They’re exhausted, burned out, and ambivalent about what they are doing. They feel depersonalized. They see their friends and acquaintances posting wonderful things. They start comparing their life to other people’s lives. Their friends workout, eat well, and have a muscular bodies. They start thinking everyone else is “perfect” while they feel worse and worse about themself. The problem arises in the perfectionism they are chasing. Problematic social media use can cause a person to constantly think the grass is greener on the other side. Perfectionism can affect overall well-being and happiness. Metacognition plus perfectionism equal OCD (Harren et al). They are obsessed. A quote from Jerry Bubrick, Ph. D. at the Child Mind Institute, says it bluntly. “Kids spend entirely too much time on social media trying to post what they think the world will think is a perfect life,” (Miller). The activation of metacognition implies influence over one’s thought processes, which is generally automatic (Harren et al). Metacognitions can magnify emotions, and a person can end up escaping back into the depths of social media to self-regulate their emotions. Since adolescents tend to have an underdeveloped ability to self-regulate and aren’t generally as mindful about what they are physically doing, or controlling the ability to think about what they are thinking about, they can fall victim to the hazards of social media. Instagram, for example, is one of the most hazardous sites in social media to contract perfectionism by way of comparison (Miller). The people who analyzed tweets to recognize negative patterns decided to test out a theory involving Instagram posts. They used machine learning tools, studied data components and algorithmic facial detections, and were able to identify depression in individuals based on the photos they shared to Instagram. (Reese et al). Their hypothesis was that they would be able to distinguish depressed individuals from healthy individuals on a consistent basis. They studied everything about a picture, from color and saturation, to subject and time of day the picture was taken. They were able to determine unhealthy individuals- those predicted to have depression- would post black and white photos and would respond higher to black and white photos (page). Individuals don’t seem to be addicted to the internet itself, but to the various activities it offers. From games to dating, the internet offers something for everyone, though some activities elicit more harmful and compulsive behaviors than others (Van Den Eijnden et al).
Adolescents tend to be more tech savvy than most adults- as they are growing up in the technological era, and for most older people, it is still a learned concept. Most teens understand how to navigate the internet better than adults, but also tend to be more vulnerable to the negative side of the internet, as well. There are studies linking the rush of gaming to the rush of social media, which have similar reactions and can cause psychological cravings or addictions. Addictions can affect mood, tolerance, and sleep. The more someone gets rewarded, the more they crave the reward. When a person receives, it triggers a release of dopamine (Robinson and Smith). If they don’t receive the reward they were hoping for, they may start losing themself in trying to achieve that same adrenaline rush. Gambling addictions, perfectionism, and attention craving can all be side effects of this decrease in dopamine. Some people will do anything to get that reward, and if they notice it slipping away, they may turn to riskier behavior, like raising a bet for a bigger reward or showing their body in less clothing. This is terrifying, especially for those with kids. Younger teens or children may not understand the risk of their behavior needed to attain that rush. A nine-year-old on Snapchat, who posts pictures of herself in a t-shirt and underwear to gain attention may not understand the harmful and risky behavior she is projecting, nor the horrifying aftereffects of that behavior. This can be compared to other addictions, as well. Shopping addictions send people into debt so they can wear the new hot clothing trend. People starve themselves to “be like them”. Many eating disorders tend to start in adolescence around when mood disorders occur. Adolescents are growing up in an era of technology. The internet is constantly accessible to this generation without waiting for a dial up, or having to worry about the connection being cut off because somone’s using the phone. Now we will talk a bit about the monoliths of the internet.
While commercial media has been around since the 40s (Blackwell Clark), social media is a newer concept, but has still been around 25 years. Launched in 1997, SixDegrees.com was brought into fruition just a few short years after the inception of the World Wide Web (Ngak). Many platforms followed and has led to approximately 4.6 billion users worldwide. Towering miles above the rest, Facebook is the king of social media sites, with over 2 billion users, followed by Instagram, then Twitter coming in third place (and eighth ranked website overall), with still an exceptional 700 million users (Sasso et al, 659). When researchers integrated the Hopelessness Theory of Depression into Twitter (Abrahamsom), studies were able to determine which individuals were at greater risk for their high level of cognitive vulnerability (657). The Hopelessness Theory of Depression is basically how an individual reacts to a negative situation. The worse the reaction, the higher level of cognitive vulnerability (Sasso et al). Data from the theory is validated by the Cognitive Style Questionnaire (CSQ) (Haeffel et al). Using categories such as where time is focused- past or future and emotion focus- positive or negative, the data was collected by studying tweets from over 100 undergrad students. This particular study showed that people with an “I” focus- meaning talking about themselves, or their own point of view, and basing their post in the past, exhibited higher levels of cognitive vulnerability, which has a direct effect on depressive symptoms (659). Along with those studies, researchers were also able to determine that negative language content was a better predictor of heart disease mortality than other condemning variables like obesity and hypertension (Sasso et al). Twitter content itself, and the way a person uses it, could even predict self-reported onsets of depressive episodes, six months before they occurred (662).
Facebook had similar results after being studied. With 150,000 comments, 293,000 statuses updated, and 136,000 photos uploaded per minute (Biolcati), there is plenty of content on Facebook. A quantitative cross-sectional survey was used to study 755 people, with questions ranging from asking the number of social media sites frequented, to how often they were used. Results collected interpreted Facebook intrusion, relationship dissatisfaction, and Facebook addiction (Ryan et al). Evidence was presented to support four indicators of Facebook addiction- salience, loss of control, withdrawal, and relapse. Since Facebook addiction- or any social media addiction for that matter- is not widely recognized by practitioners, these studies are paramount in learning about the correlation of social media to mental health. (Ryan et al). Internet addictions studies are being translated into many languages, including French, Arabic, Chinese and Italian, and have been used to study depression, academic performance, and introversion, and are paving the way into the imperative studies of this correlation (Al-Menayes). Many other studies and scales are at the forefront of this debate. The Child and Adolescent Scale, or CAMM, is a useful tool for studying mindfulness in kids and teens (Greco et al). The Big Five personality traits (Openness, Conscientiousness, Extroversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism) are associated with Internet Addiction (Biolcati et al). The Five Factor Model aims to study more than one behavioral and personality disorder, and the sociological similarities between chemical and behavioral addictions are associated with youths’ inhibition and cognitive flexibility (Andreassen, et al).
With billions of people having access to these possible negative influences, it’s incredibly important to start exploring social media as a contributor to depressive episodes and other mental ailments. In ten years from 2005-2015 there was an 18% increase of diagnosed clinical
depression. 300 million people are diagnosed explicitly with depression (Sasso et al 657). Approximately 166 million adolescents are diagnosed with mental illness each year, and 40%, roughly 66 million, are diagnosed with anxiety and depression. (Mental Health). There is a plentiful amount of data that can be collected in ten years. Sarah Coyne conducted a 10-year study of 500 adolescents- aged 12-15, to determine the longitudinal impact of growth patterns of social media use on suicide risk. Other reputable sources subscribe to the theory that girls have a higher risk than boys do at that young of an age, after various studies focusing on behaviors based on use of social media, video gaming, television, and cell phone use (2324). It is also mentioned in that article that women also tend to be more attuned with their emotional stressors, and also more likely to internalize stressors with emotional distress. More studies are starting to focus on HOW social networks are used, instead of the length of time used. Social media can ease stress, pain, be a comforting and supportive area, and can help people learn how to manage a lot of things. Adversely, social media has also been described as a risk factor for suicide. It can disrupt sleep, it can send a person into a spiral, and they can become a slave to their phone. When a person is lonely, bored, or stressed, and turn to social media to alleviate those feelings, a psychological cycle begins. Many people get bored. They pick up their phone to check social media. They do it again a few minutes later. Mindlessly scrolling, they start seeing pictures of friends who are on a camping trip. They get jealous and think their life has no meaning and they aren’t good enough. These negative thoughts increase feelings of loneliness and stress. Worsening symptoms send that person back to social media to find calm. (Bilgiz and Peker). Around and around until they are out of control. The symptoms of internet overuse are raining down. No matter what it’s called, these effects of social media can be draining and exhausting. Social media fatigue. Problematic internet use. Social media addiction. Social media burnout. The same effects with different names.
The correlation of social media use to depression in adolescents is undeniable. It is a distraction. It can cause depression. It can be devastating to an adolescent since their brains aren’t fully developed. Suicide rates in adolescents have gone up significantly in the last decade, and it’s easy to see the effects of technology as triggers.
Now that you have learned about what can happen if social media is misused, it’s time to check in with your teen. Teaching teens how to positively use social media could be paramount to their mental health and may even save their lives. Find ways to have open conversations with your kids, and actively monitor their social media use. Caroline Miller explains some ways to help minimize the negative effects. Check in with your kids about their use. Make sure what they are doing/watching is positive and healthy. Help guide them in a healthier direction for using social media, such as engaging positively with friends, focusing on balance, and most importantly, understand the difference between screen life and real life, and learning how to dissociate the two. Create boundaries and specific screen times during the day, and encourage them to get outside, be active, and socialize face to face.
If you are worried about your kids and their mental health due to screen time, monitor it. Pay attention. Most of all, kids tend to imitate what they see. You should attempt to model your own behavior with social media in a way that your teens will find useful, and still be able to have their independence. That 13-year-old girl resides in all of us, whenever we log on. If you notice signs of depression, fatigue, withdrawal, or overuse, take it seriously. It could save your kid’s life.
Works Cited
“10-year study shows elevated suicide risk from excess social media time for teen girls.” Brigham News, 9 Feb. 2021, https://www.newswise.com/articles/10-year-study-shows-elevated-suicide-…
Abramson, Lyn Y., et al. “Cognitive Vulnerability to Depression: theory and evidence.” Journal of Cognitive Psychotherapy, vol. 13, no. 1.
Al-Menayes, Jamal. “The Fear of Missing out Scale: Validation of the Arabic Version and Correlation with Social Media Addiction.” International Journal of Applied Psychology, vol. 6, 2 Nov. 2016., pp. 41-46, http://article.sapub.org/10.5923.j.ijap.20160602.04.html
Andreassen, Cecilia Schou, et al. “The Relationships Between Behavioral Addictions and the Five-Factor Model of Personality.” Journal of Behavioral Addictions, 12 Apr. 2013, pp 90-99, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/273930771_The_relationship_bet…
Bilgiz, Sümeyye, and Adem Peker. “The Mediating Role of Mindfulness in the Relationship Between School Burnout and Problematic Smartphone and Social Media Use.” International Journal of Progressive Education, vol. 17, no. 1, 2021. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1286529
Biolcati, Roberta et al. “Facebook Addiction: Onset Predictors.” Journal of Clinical Medicine, vol. 7, no. 6, 23 May 2018. https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0383/7/6/118/htm
Blackwell Clark, Laura. "Media, Influence on Children." Encyclopedia of Education, 21 Jun. 2022, https://www.encyclopedia.com.
Coyne, Sarah M. et al. “Suicide Risk in Emerging Adulthood: Associations with Screen Time over 10 years.” Journal Youth Adolescence, vol. 50, 2 Feb. 2021. EBSCOhost, https://web-p-ebscohost-com.nhcproxy.mnpals.net/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfview…
Greco, LA et al. “Assessing Mindfulness in Children and Adolescents: Development and Validation of the Child and Adolescent Mindfulness Measure (CAMM).” Psychology Assessment, 23 Sep. 2011, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21480722/
Harron, Nina et al. “Studying Social Media Burnout and Problematic Social Media Use: the implication of perfectionism and metacognitions.” Computers in Human Behavior reports, vol.4, Aug.- Dec. 2021, https://reader.elsevier.com/reader/sd/pii/S2451958821000658?token=E9176…
Huang, Chiungjung. “A Meta-Analysis of the Problematic Social Media Use and Mental Health.” International Journal of Social Psychiatry, vol. 68, no. 1 Feb. 2022, pp. 12–33. EBSCOhost, https://doi-org.nhcproxy.mnpals.net/10.1177/0020764020978434.
“Mental Health.” Unicef, Oct. 2021. https://data.unicef.org/topic/child-health/mental-health/
Miller, Caroline. “Does social media use cause depression?” Child Mind Institute Online, https://childmind.org/article/is-social-media-use-causing-depression/
Mundy, L.K. et al. “Social networking and symptoms of depression and anxiety in early adolescence.” Depression and Anxiety, 1 May 2021, https://web-s-ebscohost-com.nhcproxy.mnpals.net/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfview…
Ngak, Chenda. “Then and now: a history of social networking sites.” CBS news, 6 Jul. 2011. https://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/then-and-now-a-history-of-social-netwo…
O’Reilly, Michelle. “Social media and adolescent mental health: the good, the bad and the ugly.” Journal of Mental Health, vol. 29, no. 2, 28 Jan. 2020, pp. 200-206, DOI: 10.1080/09638237.2020.1714007
Patchin, Justin W. “2019 Cyberbullying Data.” Cyberbullying Research Center, 9 Jul. 2019. https://cyberbullying.org/2019-cyberbullying-data
Reece, A.G., and C.M. Danforth. “Instagram photos reveal predictive markers of depression.” EPJ Data Science, 8 Aug. 2017. Springer Open, https://epjdatascience.springeropen.com/articles/10.1140/epjds/s13688-0…
Robinson, Lawrence, and Melinda Smith. “Social Media and Mental Health.” HelpGuide, Oct. 2021. https://www.helpguide.org/articles/mental-health/social-media-and-menta…
Ryan, Tracii et al. "The Uses and Abuses of Facebook: A Review of Facebook Addiction." Journal of Behavioral Addictions, vol. 3, no. 3, 2014, pp. 133-148. https://doi.org/10.1556/jba.3.2014.016
Sasso, Maria P. et al. “#Sad: Twitter Content Predicts Changes in Cognitive Vulnerability and Depressive Symptoms.” Cognitive Therapy and Research, 21 Jan. 2019. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/330762990_Sad_Twitter_Content_…
Steinberg, Laurence. “Cognitive and Affective Development in Adolescence." Trends in Cognitive Science, Vol. 9, No. 2. Feb. 2005. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15668099/
“Survey finds 95 percent of U.S. teens have their own mobile device.” The Denver Post, 25 Nov. 2018, https://www.denverpost.com/2018/11/25/survey-95-percent-us-teens-mobile…
Van Den Eijnden, R. J., et al. “The social media disorder scale.” Computers in Human Behavior, 61, pp. 478-487. 2016. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0747563216302059#bib…;