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Sophia Cron

Professor Barnes

English Composition 1102

8 September 2019

Research Proposal

My research question is, “Are teens who spend more time on social media more likely to

suffer anxiety and/or depression?” As a teenager, I have watched several of my friends struggle

to get through a busy day of school because of anxiety or depression. I know how drastically so-

cial media can affect our every day lives, and someone who is constantly exposed can feel more

insecure. Throughout high school I have witnessed several of my friends delete social media in

order for them to feel more confident in themselves, and I have always wondered if there is any

scientific proof that social media induces anxiety or depression. One of my close friends told me,

“I have always felt insecure about myself, and seeing unrealistic body figures all over Instagram

made me question everything. I decided to delete the app, and I have felt more confident in my-

self and I am a much happier person.” I really began to question things that are advertised every

day. Not only would I want to learn more about the effects social media has on us, but I want to

learn more about what triggers people’s emotions. What in society can effect the mental state of

a teenager and why? That is another question I would like to answer through research.

I feel very strongly about this topic because I feel like people my age are allowing social

media to affect their every day lives. Apps like Instagram can trigger many questions in a young

teenager’s mind, anything from their appearance to popularity. I believe that there are many

things that can affect the mental state of a teenager, but the biggest is social media because we
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spend most of our time on these apps. I also believe that these apps can test the strength of a per-

son—will they allow themselves to feel defeated because of something they saw? I have wit-

nessed my friends struggle with self confidence so I already know that social media is harmful to

teenagers. I know there is no true benefit to sharing pictures of yourself besides a temporary con-

fidence boost and bragging rights. Besides my personal experience, I have not done any research

so I do not know any facts or statistics about this topic. I know that thousands of teenagers attend

therapy because of their mental states, and I want to understand the causes of these situations.

As I stated earlier, I do not know any statistics regarding this topic. I also do not know

much about psychology (mental disorders—possibly caused by social media) so I would like to

research these different types of issues. I am going to read several articles pertaining to this topic,

and I also want to read about people who have experienced anxiety/depression because of social

media. I would like to answer the following questions:

- Are teens who spend more time on social media more likely to suffer anxiety and/or

depression?

- What in society can effect the mental state of a teenager and why?