Social Media Effects on Teen Depression

Introduction

In today’s world, teens are addicted to social media. Social media is their life, they worry about

how many likes they get or how many followers they have on a certain app. Children create their

social media accounts at such a young age that they grow up with this constant need for fitting

in and counting their likes and followers. This constant worry for popularity and fitting in has

caused many serious health problems including depression and anxiety. Social media is now a

lifestyle or even a career for some people. This is just the beginning of the growth of social

media, and it is not slowing down anytime soon. We all need to make social media a place

where everyone belongs rather than a place where people feel they are outcasts or not good

enough.

In this research paper, I will be discussing the negative effects that social media takes on teens’

mental states. I have gathered evidence from scientific surveys to explain how social media

affects the well beings of teens. I have also gathered information regarding the main reasons

why teens develop depression due to social media. This research will help us better understand

the correlation between depression and social media. As we better understand the correlation,

we can learn how to change to norms and create a safer environment.

Literature Review

Now in this new world of social media, one can easily find themselves comparing their

body type to someone else on Instagram. Sadly, this is becoming widely popular with

teens. Teenagers are comparing themselves to others and finding themselves to be not
good enough or too skinny or too fat which results in teens learning to hate themselves

and want to change everything about them. Researchers at American University

conducted a survey to connect social media and body images, the researchers

concluded, “The survey report said young women in particular are bombarded with

edited images that mask people's flaws and imperfections” (McDaniels). It is becoming

so common for models to mask their insecurities to look “perfect.” Young children, girls

especially, are feeling the pressure of this and are learning to hate the way they look.

This is what social media teaches teenagers, to hide their insecurities and try to project

a “perfect” lifestyle and body type.

Another huge dilemma teenagers face is cyberbullying. Cyberbullying has only

increased in recent years due to the new platforms on social media including Tik Tok,

Snapchat, and Instagram. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, cyberbullying is

“the verbal bullying of someone through the use of often anonymous electronic

communication” (“Cyberbullying,” def.3). Cyberbullying takes a toll on teenagers’ health

and mental well-being. Dr. Melinda Ring wrote for CNN and stated, “Victims of

cyberbullying are almost twice as likely to have attempted suicides compared with

adolescents who were not the target of online attacks” (Ring). This is a serious problem.

Teenagers are taking their own lives because of some of the harassment they have

endured through social media apps.

Research Questions

This research will serve to answer these questions:

 ● Is there a correlation between depression and social media?

● Does it affect a certain group of people more?

● Why is depression becoming more popular amongst teens?

Method

This research will be done by collecting results from numerous different surveys done

by different sources. These different sources will provide researchers with different

types of controls. For example, the people will be different among all surveys, the

locations, the ages, etc. The findings will be explained in these sections:

● The effects of social media on body image

● The group who suffers from depression the most

● The effects of social media on teenager’s health

Discussion

By examining the effects of social media on body image, learning the group that suffers

from depression the most, and the effects social media has on the overall health of

teenagers, we can better learn the main source of depression in teenagers. This will

help teenagers especially learn how to stay away from depression and keep a positive

and healthy mindset.

This research is necessary today because depression is becoming widely popular

among teens due to social media. Social media is not going to be stopped anytime

soon. We need to come up with a way to provide a safe environment for teenagers and
young children on social media apps. Social media has destroyed many families and

taken many lives, we cannot allow this anymore.

References

“Cyberbullying.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster,

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cyberbullying. Accessed 2 Nov. 2020.

McDaniels, Andrea K. "Does Use of Social Media Affect Emotional Wellbeing of

Teens?" Daily Gleaner, 2017 Jun 14. SIRS Issues Researcher,
explore.proquest.com/sirsissuesresearcher/document/2265870496?accountid=3785.

Ring, Melinda. "Teen Depression and How Social Media Can Help or Hurt." CNN Wire
Service, 2015 Aug 05. SIRS Issues Researcher, explore.proquest.com/
sirsissuesresearcher/document/2265390688?accountid=3785.