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Adam Momand
CST 300 Writing Lab
February 12, 2022

Positive and Negative Impacts of Social Media on Its Users

Studies have shown social media to have positive and negative impacts on its users

depending on the use and time spent on available platforms (Rogers, 2019). Social media history

goes back to 1844 when the first electronic message was sent by Samuel Morse, but network-

based social media grew substantially with the internet in the 1980s and 1990s when many

companies started, such as CompuServe, America Online, and Prodigy. These companies

introduced users to digital communication via email and other online chatting. And then, from

2000s onward, other major social media companies started activities which includes today’s

LinkedIn, Facebook (Meta), and many other social media companies. Today, Facebook has more

than 1.7 billion users, 69 percent of which are adults (The evolution of social media, 2021).

Depending on how users use social media, it can either enhance or decrease the quality of their

lives, which begs the question: How should users leverage social media in order to improve the

quality of their lives?

Issue

It is believed and researched that social media comes with many health-related issues like

depression, anxiety, and mental health for many of its users. “The majority of U.S. College

students spend hours each day on social media platforms and are never far from their digital

devices” (Nine tips for healthy social media use, 2020). And this excessive and constant online

engagement makes students’ mental health and experiences affected by social media use (Nine

tips for healthy social media use, 2020). These health-related issues are even more severe in

teens and kids because kids struggle to regulate their screen time and their chances of social
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media addiction are higher than that of adults. to regulate their screen time and their chances of

social media addiction is higher than that of adults.

Stakeholder 1: Social Media Users

Values. Social media can have negative impacts on users, especially children and teens.

These negative impacts include depression, anxiety, self-harm, and mood disorders (Teens and

social media use: What’s the impact, 2022). Today’s teens spend most of their time on their

digital devices which makes it more important for their social media use to be healthy and

unharmful to their mental health. Social media has been engineered to capture the attention of

teens, so the challenge is how parents can monitor their teens and educate them in how to use

social media to enhance their lives instead of harming their confidence and hindering their ability

to engage in other worthwhile pursuits. If parents and social media companies do not intervene in

how teens use social media, it can become a highly destructive force that prevents teens from

developing correctly since teens spend so much time using social media.

Position. According to the Mayo clinic, social media harms teens with depression,

anxiety, and mental health. In addition, social media distracts kids by reducing their sleep time,

exposing them to online bullying, and giving them unrealistic views of how they should live by

exposing them to a curated view of other people’s lives. Therefore, parents are worried about

their kid’s mental health (Teens and social media use: What's the impact, 2022)

Claims. Unhealthy use of social media causes health related issues especially on teens

and most parents have a hard time protecting their children from these negative effects of social

media on their children. Parents use claim of cause and argue that social media is negatively

impacting their children’s mental health. On average, US teens spend 7 hours on social media

every day and this is not including their homework time. Furthermore, a very high percentage of
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school children nowadays do their homework on their computers or iPads (Rogers, 2019). As a

result, children are spending large amounts of time in front of screens which decreases their

ability to engage in other pursuits such as sports and face to face interactions. Researchers find

that social media causes teens to be distracted from their school homework because of the

prospect of social media updates, the prospect of validation from social media, or even the stress

of social exclusion (Rogers, 2019).

Outcome. Parents argue that if their children continue to engage in social media without

the proper guidance, they will not only be prevented from engaging in worthwhile pursuits, but

they will be at risk for developing depression as the social pressure of social media combined

with the addictive nature of social media threatens their children’s self-images.

Stakeholder two: Social media platforms

Value. The social media companies believe that social media can be used recreationally

to enhance children’s social lives. While they do use social media as a business, they also

recognize the importance of its user’s health and wellbeing, and they work hard to protect their

social media users from any health-related issue or harmful contents. According to Washington

Post major social media companies such as Facebook, Twitter and other social media companies

expose teens to important issues like having their voice on things that are important to them

which they didn’t have before (Knorr, 2021).

Position. Social media companies are committed and spending huge amount of money

and other resources to provide quality services to its customers and social media users. Social

media companies provide users with helpful reminders to take frequent breaks, and while social

media companies want users to have a lot of screen time, they balance this by showing users

content related to people they know in hopes that it will bring positivity to their lives. These
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companies get profit through targeted advertisements. They offer users goods and services that

will enhance their lives such as exercise memberships and low-fat snacks.

Claims. Social media companies define their platforms as a tool for them to make money

while delivering valuable services to their customers. Social media in modern times serves as a

platform for politicians and employers. Thus, social media creates a rich environment for

individuals to stay connected and up to date with current events with real-world consequences. If

used correctly, social media is an educational tool allowing children to learn while they browse.

A social media post about working hard may be just what a teen needs in order to join their high

school basketball team. The challenge becomes showing individuals how to navigate social

media without taking false or misleading information into account. Social media companies use

claim of value, and they argue the benefits of social media to teens, businesses, and public

(Knorr, 2021).

Outcome. Social media users can use social media to learn valuable things like learning a

new language, leaning about different geographic regions and more. Social media can be an asset

to teens as it allows them to stay up to date with current events and can even have a positive

impact on their psyche if they consume positive content.

Argument Question

How can social media platforms eliminate the negative impact of social media on its users while

amplifying the positive effects of social media use?

Argument

Stakeholder one: Social Media users

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Parents are concerned about their children’s well-being while using social media. This

concern is even more serious with the leaked documents from Facebook that shows the company

knew for “two years that its Instagram app is making body image issues worse for teens,

particularly girls” (How social media's toxic content sends teens into 'a dangerous spiral, 2021).

It further explains that the “algorithmically-driven feeds of contents” which can make users more

involved in social media than is healthy. It can also drag “vulnerable teens” to a harmful and

negative social comparison which ultimately leads teens to develop mental health conditions like

depression and anxiety (How social media's toxic content sends teens into 'a dangerous spiral’,

2021). But Facebook hid this information bringing greater weight to parents’ arguments about

the harms of social media. Other research has been done and it all shows that excessive use of

social media impacts its users, especially kids and teens, poorly. One study remarked, “The

impact of social media on teenagers can be significant,” spending time on social media is not

about missing a few hours of sleep and getting distracted. It has to do with a teen’s mental health

and overall ability to navigate the world socially (The University of Queensland, n.d). Teens lack

the ability to self-regulate their screen time and think about their health. The draw of social

media triggers such a powerful dopamine response in teens that they even neglect fundamental

aspects of their health such as their need for food and water. Social media is so addicting and

pervasive that some parents do not see use of the service as a choice for their children, but rather

an addictive service that should be regulated by the service providers.

Stakeholder two: Social Media Companies

Social media companies have been accused of their platforms causing mental health

issues to the users. But social media companies have always denied the accusations and defended

their services. Facebook most recently paused a program that would develop an Instagram
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application for users 13 years old and older, and the reason for pausing this program was because

their own research was showing that their application would affect users’ mental health (Daniels,

2021). This issue went viral and went to the Congress of the United State and Congress held a

hearing on the news. The U.S. government has been involved in similar investigations and

hearings in the past related to users’ privacy and misuse of users’ data by social media

companies. Now the concern over mental health, depression, and anxiety that the constant use of

social media causes to its users especially teens.

However, social media companies continue to be useful to private and public sectors for

their delivery of information, advertisement, entertainment, education, and countless other

purposes. Social media companies are also used by politicians and governments to keep people

informed and engaged with all the activities and policies that government implements.

On the other hand, social media use is voluntary, and users can choose not to use it, but it

can be argued that social media is a power that individuals can have and use for their personal

enrichment, such as to upkeep relationships with friends and family, and for entertainment

purposes. As with any service, there is a shared responsibility between those that choose to use

the service and those that provide the service.

Student Position

I support the use of social media because social media can be catered based on how the

user chooses to use social media. Like a hammer, social media is a tool that can be used well or

poorly. Rather than shift all responsibility to the social media providers, parents should make an

effort to educate their children on the correct and incorrect use of social media. For instance,

parents can encourage their teens to subscribe to educational content that interests them. This can

save time for the parents in the long run while repurposing the addictive quality of social media
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because it allows the addictive quality of social media to be used to educate the child. Social

media can be used to expand children’s minds. For example, there is a wealth of cultural

information on social media sites like Facebook and making friends from other cultures, even

when they live on the other side of the world, has never been easier. In my personal experience, I

have learned more English watching YouTube videos and reading news on Facebook than I ever

could have done by attending in-person classes. Social media is simply a more convenient form

of education than in-person workshops and classes. For instance, parents can set a limit for their

children how much time they can spend on social media, what content they can view and who

they can keep in contact with. They can set an example for their kids by limiting their own

screen time which their kids can learn from through osmosis.

Summary

Social media has the propensity for great damage but can also do great good if used

correctly. The deciding factor in whether social media is beneficial or harmful to users hinges on

what type of information and relationships users choose to associate with. Do users spend their

time subscribing to positive messages and culturally rich content or do they fill their feeds with

celebrities who only show the most glamorous parts of their lives? Do users limit their social

media use to an hour a day which they use to consume educational content, or do they allow the

dopamine-heavy world of social media to affect them for 4+ hours a day? In the end, the solution

to the social media problem comes down to education and example-setting. If teens can learn the

correct way of using social media through supportive parents, then only good things can come

from the use of these ever-pervasive services.

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References

How social media's toxic content sends teens into 'a dangerous spiral'. News. (2021, October 8).

Retrieved February 17, 2022, from https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/features/how-

social-medias-toxic-content-sends-teens-into-a-dangerous-spiral/

Knorr, C. (2021, October 24). Perspective | five ways social media can be good for teens. The

Washington Post. Retrieved February 17, 2022, from

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/parenting/wp/2018/03/19/5-ways-social-media-

can-be-good-for-teens/

Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. (2022, February 8). Teens and social

media use: what's the impact? Mayo Clinic. Retrieved February 14, 2022, from

https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/tween-and-teen-health/in-depth/teens-and-

social-media-use/art-20474437

MindHandHeart. (n.d.). Nine tips for healthy social media use. MIT News | Massachusetts

Institute of Technology. Retrieved February 17, 2022, from

https://news.mit.edu/2020/mindhandheart-nine-tips-healthy-social-media-use-0123

Rogers, K. (2019, October 29). US teens use screens more than seven hours a day on average --

and that's not including school work. CNN. Retrieved February 14, 2022, from

https://www.cnn.com/2019/10/29/health/common-sense-kids-media-use-report-wellness/

index.html

The evolution of social media: How did it begin and where could it go next? Maryville Online.

(2021, March 3). Retrieved February 13, 2022, from

https://online.maryville.edu/blog/evolution-social-media/
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The evolution of social media: How did it begin and where could it go next? Maryville Online.

(2021, March 3). Retrieved February 13, 2022, from

https://online.maryville.edu/blog/evolution-social-media/

The University of Queensland. (n.d.). How does social media affect teenagers? Future Students.

Retrieved February 12, 2022, from https://future-students.uq.edu.au/stories/how-social-

media-affects-teenagers