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LITERATURE REVIEW
Abigail McGlynn

Writing Sample #3

Mental Health and Social Media: A Literature Review

  Social Media runs our lives as we know it in the 21 st century; we are constantly

comparing ourselves to others and sharing our “perfect lives” with the web (Amanda

Gabriel 2017). Social Media was created to help people communicate with others

efficiently and quickly. It has changed dramatically since it was first created. Now,

people are sharing everything and anything with the world to make it seem like they fit

in, forgetting that there is so much more to life than just social media. People can

choose how they want others to see them based on their pages; for example, they can

post lots of pictures doing lavish things to make themselves seem wealthy. This is not

the reason social media was invented. We focus on all the positives that social media

brings for us while neglecting to log off and see the bad (Amanda Gabriel 2017). As a

nation, we all need to stop comparing ourselves to others and making ourselves out to

be people we really aren’t. Focusing on who we really are is the most important thing in

creating a healthy mental status. There is no need to feel pressure to be people we

aren’t by posting things that aren’t an accurate representation of us (Amanda Gabriel

2017). The fact that children are exposed to and have access to social media at such a

young age allows them to get “brainwashed” with what they feel they should and

shouldn’t post. Obsessing over the approval of peers at a young age negatively impacts

mental health to a more extreme level. Children post having symptoms of inattention,

hyperactivity, ODD, anxiety, depression, and many other serious mental health

symptoms from using social media (Christopher T. Barry, Chloe L. Sidoti, Shanelle M.
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Briggs, Shari R. Reiter, Rebecca A. Lindsey 2017). With the rising use of technology,

cyberbullying has become a rising issue as well as FOMO (fear of missing out). I have

decided to focus on four factors and consequences that occur from social media use:

parents limiting time on social media, the fear of missing out, cyberbullying, and mental

health. In this Literature Review, the effect social media has on mental health is

primarily focused on preadolescents/adolescents and parent observations.

Parental Control of the Time Preadolescents Spend on Social Media

        According to a survey, the less time preadolescents spent on social media

results in having better mental health (Jasmine Fardouly, Natasha R Magson, Carly J

Johnco, Ella L Oar, Ronald M Rapee (2018). Preadolescents are already going through

many changes with their bodies; having peer pressures on social media does not help

their situation. It has been studied that comparing oneself to others on social media

brings about satisfaction. This is why there are so many symptoms of depression that

occur when a person perceives his/her social media existence isn’t as good as

someone else’s. (Jasmine Fardouly, Natasha R Magson, Carly J Johnco, Ella L Oar,

Ronald M Rapee (2018).

This is why parents have stepped in and monitored their kids’ phone and social

media use. However, having parents place too strict of limits on what their kids are able

to do on social media, may harm their emotional health as well (Jasmine Fardouly,

Natasha R Magson, Carly J Johnco, Ella L Oar, Ronald M Rapee (2018).

Studies have shown advantages to parents controlling how much time their kids

spend on social media sites. With this, there are challenges that arise, however.

Parents can only shelter their kids for so long; soon they will be off in the real world with
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LITERATURE REVIEW
no one checking into what they are doing. Also, most kids do not appreciate their

parents controlling what they look at (Jasmine Fardouly, Natasha R Magson, Carly J

Johnco, Ella L Oar, Ronald M Rapee (2018).  Parents should use methods to monitor

their children's social media use that best works for their family situations (Christopher

T. Barry, Chloe L. Sidoti, Shanelle M. Briggs, Shari R. Reiter, Rebecca A. Lindsey

2017). Everyone and every situation is going to be different on how it should be

handled, this will also create a more trusting environment for the parents and kids to

interact and pick what is best for both parties.

Kids don’t want to admit that they look up to their parents and that parents play a

huge role in their lives (Jasmine Fardouly, Natasha R Magson, Carly J Johnco, Ella L

Oar, Ronald M Rapee (2018). Parents can limit how much time kids spend on social

media, but essentially cannot control what they do when they are using the apps

(Jasmine Fardouly, Natasha R Magson, Carly J Johnco, Ella L Oar, Ronald M Rapee

(2018). The hope is that with the parents being active on how much time kids spend on

their phones, kids will make better-educated decisions when they are on social media.

Fear of Missing Out

FOMO (fear of missing out) is becoming a rising issue with social media/internet

addiction, which is a very common condition in today’s day and age.  (Christopher T.

Barry, Chloe L. Sidoti, Shanelle M. Briggs, Shari R. Reiter, Rebecca A. Lindsey 2017).

FOMO is a direct result of internet addiction. With all the negative symptoms of internet

addiction, these can lead to developing FOMO (Bosnia and Herzegovina 2018). Social

media allows everyone to see what their friends are doing at all times; this can create

anxiety with individuals because they don’t want to be left out. Most of the time, people
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LITERATURE REVIEW
do not even care to do whatever their friends are doing, but they don’t want to have the

web see them as not being a part of something. Most of the time, FOMO is the fear of

missing out in a virtual peer group (Christopher T. Barry, Chloe L. Sidoti, Shanelle M.

Briggs, Shari R. Reiter, Rebecca A. Lindsey 2017).

Loneliness is another factor that links to FOMO; no one likes to be alone. FOMO

is also described as the inability to say “no” to anything, even if they don’t want to or

have the time (Shane M. Hanlon 2016). Kids now think they need to fill their days full of

fun and exciting activities that they can capture and post later. When Snapchat created

Snap Maps, this allowed users to see the exact location of their friends. This may be a

nice feature for parents, but if teens see many of their friends in the same location

without them, this can cause FOMO. Most think this is a dumb concept, but this

correlates with the fear of loneliness.

With FOMO being a relatively new issue, there is not a ton of data to support

research. The number of people diagnosed is growing, as researchers are finding ways

to get more data (Christopher T. Barry, Chloe L. Sidoti, Shanelle M. Briggs, Shari R.

Reiter, Rebecca A. Lindsey 2017). Some people who experience FOMO are described

as overachievers; they feel as if they are never doing enough (Shane M. Hanlon 2016).

FOMO is not always the fear of missing out in social situations; some adults experience

this in their career fields. Both situations can cause either addiction or obsession to

your work or to the internet to stay connected (Christopher T. Barry, Chloe L. Sidoti,

Shanelle M. Briggs, Shari R. Reiter, Rebecca A. Lindsey 2017). Again, with this being a

relatively new issue, as well as the fact that everyone develops FOMO differently in
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situations, there is not enough research and data to help come up with a preventative

plan.

Social Media and Mental Health

        Social Media has arguably the largest impact on teens and young adults.

Everyone has all the apps that allow them to connect with people, and most importantly,

helps them create how they want their life to be. Most people only chose to post the

best pictures they take and the best moments in their life at the time (Amanda Gabriel).

Doing this creates a false picture for their followers. No one sees their “lows”; they just

see them in flawless photos at their most exciting times. Others then start doubting

themselves. They wonder what they should be doing, how they should look, or who

they should hang out with. Obviously not everything is horrible about social media, but

users need to learn to take much-needed breaks for mental health and well-being

(Amanda Gabriel).

         Most of the older generation will remind the youth about the lack of face-to-face

conversations in today’s generation. This isn’t false; social media allows people to

carefully think of what, when, who, and how they want to communicate. This allows

people to stay in contact with long-distance friends and families, but has a negative

result with promoting face-to-face conversations (Michelle O’Reilly, Nasha Dogra,

Natasha Whiteman, Jason Hughes, Seyda Eruyar, Paul Reilly). Stress, depression,

social isolation, and sleep deprivation are all direct consequences of spending too much

time on the web (Michelle O’Reilly, Nasha Dogra, Natasha Whiteman, Jason Hughes,

Seyda Eruyar, Paul Reilly). All of these factors can lead to making rash unthought out

decisions that could affect a person long-term. To gain approval or popularity, one could
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LITERATURE REVIEW
fall into peer pressure and put something on the Internet that normally would not have

been posted (Michelle O’Reilly, Nasha Dogra, Natasha Whiteman, Jason Hughes,

Seyda Eruyar, Paul Reilly).

Cyberbullying is very easy to do; one can say something over the web that they

would be too scared to say in person, and it can lead to the spreading of misinformation

about peers. This is one of three themes that was evident with social media use in kids,

along with anxiety and mood disorders and addiction to social media use (Michelle

O’Reilly, Nasha Dogra, Natasha Whiteman, Jason Hughes, Seyda Eruyar, Paul Reilly).

Cyberbullying

Cyberbullying is a rising issue and will just continue to get worse. The age that

kids are getting phones and social media apps just gets younger and younger. Realize

that not everyone with a phone and social media cyberbullies people, but these two

combinations make it more likely to happen. In 2012, 95% of American teens had

access to/use the internet and 81% use social media (Michele P. Hamm, Amanda S.

Newton, Annabritt Chisholm 2015). With these numbers rising, I soon believe it will be

at 99% social media use. While the bully may believe what he/she is doing is something

short term, these instances can impact their victim for years. The build-up of emotions

and times people get picked on really affects their mental and physical state.

Parental control can have a large impact with preventing your child from getting

targeted with cyberbullying (Megan A. Moreno 2014). Most parents are unaware that

their child is getting bullied online, so weren’t able to prevent it. Nonetheless, being

aware of cyberbullying and talking about it with their child is a step in the right direction

(Megan A. Moreno 2014). Most kids are hesitant to tell a parent or adult about getting
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LITERATURE REVIEW
bullied online, in fear they might have their technology privileges taken away or be

embarrassed (Michele P. Hamm, Amanda S. Newton, Annabritt Chisholm 2015).

Cyberbullying has been linked to both internal and external problems, as well as

substance abuse (Alison Knopf 2014). Studies showed that teens who are victimized

online have a higher risk of substance abuse, internal, and external problems. These

odds are lowered with the increase in family dinners that occur each week (Alison Knopf

2014). With kids not wanting their parents snooping in their business, just having a

family dinner has been shown to help with the symptoms of cyberbullying. This is a way

for kids to get support from their parents without directly bringing up the issue; they

have a sense of want and belonging. Sometimes the smallest gestures make the

greatest impacts on each other. Most people don’t want their struggles and issues to be

public for others to make a big deal of.

One scary aspect of cyberbullying is that what is said over the web is literally out

there forever. This can lead to others teaming up to pick on an individual (Megan A.

Moreno 2014). Even if the initial bully stops bulling the victim, what they did or said is

still out there, and others may see it and begin to attack the victim again. Groups

teaming up on one person is very intimidating for the victim and creates even more

dramatic affects.

Conclusion

        Overall, we all need to take a step back and see the larger picture. Put our

phones down for a minute and enjoy, just live in the moment (Amanda Gabriel). A

person only gets to experience each day once, so take everything in and don’t focus on

what others are doing. Adolescents need to have exposure to social media to help their
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LITERATURE REVIEW
emotional health (Jasmine Fardouly, Natasha R Magson, Carly J Johnco, Ella L Oar,

Ronald M Rapee (2018). There is not going to be the right answer on how much time

should be spent on social media or how much social media should be limited for kids.

No one is the same; social media affects everyone in a different way. By limiting usage

on social media and the Internet, we all can work together to improve mental health.

Even if the effects on mental health are not immediately evident, it could become a

problem in the future.

There is never going to be an end to cyberbullying, but if usage is decreased, it

will reduce the opportunities for bullies to attack. Most of these studies pertained to

adolescents, but most adults also struggle with these issues every day. Kids get looked

down on because of their overuse of phones and surfing the web, but adults are just as

bad. As social media continues to evolve and expand, simply thinking before putting

something out there will help reduce many of the negative aspects that I talked about

(Michele P. Hamm, Amanda S. Newton, Annabritt Chisholm 2015). With this being a

relatively new topic, there is not enough research for solid answers now about how

exactly social media affects our mental state. As I stated earlier, everyone is different

and in a unique situation.

I think that in the near future, social media and mental health will definitely

become a hot topic for discussion. As I stated earlier this is all new information,

including the negative aspects that can arise from spending too much time on social

media. All my research comes back to limiting use on social media; this is the only way

to try minimize the negative affects people experience from social media. This will not

solve all the issues caused from using social media, but it will dramatically reduce them.
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LITERATURE REVIEW
FOMO and cyberbullying are just two of the major issues that people experience;

everyone is different and is affected differently. Some can use social media an

excessive amount and not be affected; it all depends on the individual.

Fardouly, Jasmine. “Parental Control of the Time Preadolescents Spend on Social

Media: Links with Preadolescents' Social Media Appearance Comparisons and Mental
Health.” SpringerLink, Springer US, 5 June 2018,
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10964-018-0870-1.

Gabriel, Amanda. “Social Media and Mental Health.” https://go.gale.com/ps/i.do?

id=GALE%7CA524514861&v=2.1&u=ndacad_58202zund&it=r&p=EAIM&sw=w

Hamm, Michele P. “Prevalence and Effect of Cyberbullying on Children and Young

People.” JAMA Pediatrics, American Medical Association, 1 Aug. 2015,
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/fullarticle/2337786.

Hanlon, Shane M. “Managing My Fear of Missing Out.” Science, American Association

for the Advancement of Science, 23 Sept. 2016,
https://science.sciencemag.org/content/353/6306/1458.

Knopf, Alison. “Cyberbullying Linked to Mental Health Problems in Teens; Protective

Factor Seen in Family Dinners.” Wiley Online Library, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd, 15 Dec.
2014, https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/cbl.30012.

Moreno, Megan A. “Cyberbullying.” JAMA Pediatrics, American Medical Association, 1

May 2014, https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/fullarticle/1866047.

O’Reilly, Michelle. “Is Social Media Bad for Mental Health and Wellbeing? Exploring the
Perspectives of Adolescents - Michelle O'Reilly, Nisha Dogra, Natasha Whiteman,
Jason Hughes, Seyda Eruyar, Paul Reilly, 2018.” SAGE Journals,
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1359104518775154.

panelŁukaszTomczykaElmaSelmanagic-Lizdeb, Author links open overlay, et al. “Fear

of Missing Out (FOMO) among Youth in Bosnia and Herzegovina - Scale and Selected
Mechanisms.” Children and Youth Services Review, Pergamon, 30 Mar. 2018,
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0190740918300999.

T.Barry, Christopher. “Adolescent Social Media Use and Mental Health from Adolescent
and Parent Perspectives.” Journal of Adolescence, Academic Press, 5 Sept. 2017,
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0140197117301318.