Introduction to Psychology

Does time spent on social media impact mental health? New study shows screen time isn't the
problem
Critique Paper

Submitted by: Aeriel Sheen G. Cortes

BSP 1B
Tuesday and Friday
7:30 – 9:30 a.m

Submitted to: Wilmalyn Awingan

Abstract

Background
Many studies have found a link between time spent using social media and mental health
issues, such as depression and anxiety. However, the existing research is plagued by cross-
sectional research and lacks analytic techniques examining individual change over time.

Methods
The current research involves an 8-year longitudinal study examining the association between
time spent using social media and depression and anxiety at the intra-individual level.
Participants included 500 adolescents who completed once-yearly questionnaires between the
ages of 13 and 20.

Results
Results revealed that increased time spent on social media was not associated with
increased mental health issues across development when examined at the individual level.
Hopefully these results can move the field of research beyond its past focus on screen time.

Conclusion
The time spent on social media research sustained a longitudinal study that showed the positive
effects of using social media in a span of time that provides suggestions to improve the use of
social media in to balance mental health.
I. Summary

The amount of time teenagers spend on social networking sites has risen 62.5

percent since 2012 and continues to grow. Just last year, the average time

teenagers spent on social media was estimated as 2.6 hours per day. Critics have

claimed that more screen time is increasing depression and anxiety in teenagers.

However, new research led by Sarah Coyne, a professor of family life at Brigham

Young University, found that the amount of time spent on social media is not directly

increasing anxiety or depression in teenagers. "We spent eight years trying to really

understand the relationship between time spent on social media and depression for

developing teenagers," Coyne said about her study published in Computers in

Human Behavior. "If they increased their social media time, would it make them

more depressed? Also, if they decreased their social media time, were they less

depressed? The answer is no. We found that time spent on social media was not

what was impacting anxiety or depression. "Mental health is a multi-process

syndrome where no one stressor is likely the cause of depression or anxiety. This

study shows that it is not merely the amount of time spent on social media that's

leading to an increase in depression or anxiety among adolescents. "It's not just the

amount of time that is important for most kids. For example, two teenagers could use

social media for exactly the same amount of time but may have vastly different

outcomes as a result of the way they are using it," Coyne said. The goal of this study

is to help society as a whole move beyond the screen time debate and instead to

examine the context and content surrounding social media use. Coyne has three

suggestions to use social media in healthier ways. Be an active user instead of a

passive user. Instead of just scrolling, actively comment, post and like other content

Limit social media use at least an hour before falling asleep. Getting enough sleep is

one of the most protective factors for mental health

Be intentional. Look at your motivations for engaging with social media in the first

place "If you get on specifically to seek out information or to connect with others, that

can have a more positive effect than getting on just because you're bored," Coyne

said. In an effort to understand teenagers' mental health and their social media use,

researchers worked with 500 youth between the ages of 13 and 20 who completed

once-yearly questionnaires over an eight-year span. Social media use was

measured by asking participants how much time they spent on social networking

sites on a typical day. To measure depression and anxiety, participants responded to

questions with different scales to indicate depressive symptoms and anxiety levels.

These results were then analyzed on an individual level to see if there was a strong

correlation between the two variables. At age 13, adolescents reported an average

social networking use of 31–60 minutes per day. These average levels increased

steadily so that by young adulthood, they were reporting upwards of two hours per

day. This increase of social networking, though, did not predict future mental health.

That is, adolescents' increases in social networking beyond their typical levels did

not predict changes in anxiety or depression one year later.

II. Discussion

Advantage

The study actually implies the state of teenagers in the presence of social media

in a span of time affecting behaviors. The research is an eye catching one since it

was unusual from other researches that most studies are focused on the obvious

states like social media has a bigger negative impact to teenagers or how some

researches are centralizing the idea of how social media causes mental disabilities,

disorders, anxiety, depression, insecurities and the like. This context brought up

answers that can explain reasons as to why social media as not as negative as it

seems to teenager’s psychological state. It gave points to support that social media

is not just the factor for mental capabilities but in fact shows that mental health is a

multi-process syndrome. In this case it’s not merely the time spent on social media is

leading to an increase in depression or anxiety but says it’s more on subjective

measurement, depending on their ways of using it as said by the researcher. The

study was organized in terms of the sequence; they introduced the arguments first

then the data or the statistics and lastly the supporting evidences to the issue. The

author suggested healthier ways as well to use social media to which aims to prevent

mental disabilities and to seek for positive effects. One of the keys that made the

study strong was the longitudinal method, showing the effort of the researchers to

work with 500 youth between the ages of thirteen and twenty who completed once

yearly in an eight-year span. The research was maintained and was flowing in one

path. It was also advantageous because it was based on the present times making it
relatable for majority since social media is the platform of productivity in the

generation z.

Disadvantage

One of the disadvantages of the research paper is their target audience and there

were no test before that that the audience or population they are getting are not

clinically diagnosed as depressed and they immediately concluded that social media

is not affecting mental health. But in order for this to be fixed they should have run a

test or experiment the level of their depression plus the timed used in front of the

social media take note that environment is also a proponent of occurring depression

and this is being supported by an article intitled "Lifestyle Factors and Environmental

Causes of Depression”. Lifestyle Factor stated that People who are not physically

healthy are at an increased risk for developing mental conditions such as

depression. And this article both contradicted each other that people who spend

more in front of the social media would tend to exercise the least. Factors such as

the following made the context questionable regarding the facts; survey question

answer options could also lead to unclear data because certain answer options may

be interpreted differently by respondents. For example, the answer option

“somewhat agree” may represent different things to different subjects, and have its

own meaning to each individual respondent. ‘Yes’ or ‘no’ answer options can also be

problematic. Respondents may answer “no” if the option “only once” is not available.

Respondents may not feel encouraged to provide accurate, honest answers as well

and respondents may not be fully aware of their reasons for any given answer

because of lack of memory on the subject, or even boredom.

The data simply lacks additional information to make the research stand on its own

creating gaps and holes that makes some points fall and incomplete.

Conclusion

This research was actually a good one but holes were on the line of it, leading

to a weak point but at least the study has a goal, that is to help teenagers

prevent mental disabilities through balancing ways of using social media. The

context provided to raise awareness of an important issue and promote a change to

make a positive difference around the world. Social media has the potential to create

powerful positive change but when used with bad intentions, it can have equally bad

repercussion that can affect mental health. Basically, it talks about the discipline

responsibility and respect as the key to achieve equal status in all aspects that can

shape or build the character within teenagers and others as well.

References

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Nemade, R., Nemade, Ph. D., Patricelli, edited, & Patricelli, M. (n.d.). Gulf Bend
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questionnaires. Retrieved from
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