Parker Vaagene

Mr. Sullivan

English 120

01 April 2022

“How does social media affect mental health in teens?”

McLean Hospital. “The Social Dilemma: Social Media and Your Mental Health.” Here's How
Social Media Affects Your Mental Health | McLean Hospital, Harvard Med., 21 Jan. 2022,
https://www.mcleanhospital.org/essential/it-or-not-social-medias-affecting-your-mental-
health

This article gives great insight and an overview of the impacts social media can cause on

teenagers in today’s society. They conducted a study through Pew Research Center showing us

that 69% of adults and 81% of teenagers use social media in the United States. They also talk

about “FOMO”, which is the fear of missing out. This has become a growing issue among teens.

Being able to see what your friends are doing 24/7 and knowing you are missing out on a party

or a group activity. It really can put a damper on a teen’s mood, leaving them feeling lonely.

Vulnerability is another topic they cover in this article. The earlier teens start using social media,

especially females, the sooner they are tricked by what is real and what is fake.

This source will be a great fit for my synthesis assignment. It helps give a basic insight into

the use of social media and the bigger effects it has on teenagers in the United States. Along with

numbers and good outsourced research to back up their statements.

Mayo Clinic. “How to Help Your Teen Navigate Social Media.” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation
for Medical Education and Research, 26 Feb. 2022, https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-
lifestyle/tween-and-teen-health/in-depth/teens-and-social-media-use/art-20474437

This source is short and sweet. It shows us how often teens are using social media in their

day-to-day lives. They show us numbers from a survey of 750 teens, that 45% are almost

constantly online, and 97% use a social media platform such as YouTube, Facebook, Instagram,

or Snapchat. The article also talks about some of the benefits social media can have such as

networking and raising awareness of current events or other issues in the world. But with pros

come cons, and this article also covers the cons. Such as a 2019 study of more than 6,500 12-15

year-olds in the U.S. found that those who spent more than three hours a day using social media

might be at heightened risk for mental health problems.

This source will be beneficial for my assignment. The information within the article such

as the pros and cons of social media use, and the survey numbers will help with answering my

research question.

UMaine. “Social Media Statistics Details - Undiscovered Maine - University of Maine.”

Undiscovered Maine, University of Maine, 2 Sept. 2021,
https://umaine.edu/undiscoveredmaine/small-business/resources/marketing-for-small-
business/social-media-tools/social-media-statistics-details/

This source is basically all statistics. It has great information on how many people use

social media, along with gender percentages, and different uses of social media. They say 54% of

social media users are female. This will be useful to show a point on female mental health in

social media use. Social media also is used for work, they say 40% of social media use is work-

related.
 This source will be a minor player for my synthesis, due to it only being statistics of social

media. However, it will help with showing mental health through females and their usage of

social media.

Fleps, Bella. “Social Media Effects on Body Image and Eating Disorders.” News, Illinois State
University, 21 Apr. 2021, https://news.illinoisstate.edu/2021/04/social-media-effects-on-
body-image-and-eating-disorders/

In this article, Fleps talks about how social media affects body image and how it triggers

eating disorders. Social media can be very deceiving for young teenagers, females and males

alike. Scrolling on Instagram or Facebook and seeing photoshopped pictures of people can be

dangerous. It upholds a standard that teenagers seem to be chasing. This is a major cause of

eating disorders and mental health issues. Feeling like you are never good enough or beautiful

enough really takes a toll on a person, especially teenagers.

This will be another great source for my synthesis. Fleps gives great information on how

social media causes eating disorders and body image issues. This will give me another angle on

mental health issues from social media.

Kao, Kathryn. “Social Media Addiction Linked to Cyberbullying.” UGA Today, University of
Georgia, 30 Mar. 2021, https://news.uga.edu/social-media-addiction-linked-to-
cyberbullying/

This article by Kao talks about how social media has taken bullying to the next level.

People these days can sit behind their computers or cell phones, and say anything they want,

usually without repercussions, this leads to cyberbullying. Cyberbullying is very harmful and

leads to a lot of depression and other mental health issues. She also talks about social media

addiction. In a study by the University of Georgia, they found that teenagers who are addicted to
social media are more likely to engage in cyberbullying. Kao talks about the different forms of

cyberbullying as well. Such as personal attacks, harassment, discrimination, and many more.

Kao’s article will be beneficial for my synthesis. It has great research and information on

cyberbullying and how it affects teenagers. Using this source will back up my claims on how

social media affects teenagers’ mental health.