Topic: Social Media Dangers to Mental Health

Thesis: While many young people feel less lonely by using social media, their mental health
is also deteriorating unknowingly with its excess usage as it is an unhealthy coping
mechanism, leading to depression, anxiety, and stress.
Introduction Paragraph
- Usage of social media is significantly increasing.
- People reconnect with their long-distance and even nearby friends and family.
- Used as a vehicle for gaining social support (Gordon, 2021).
- But it contributes heavily to depression and hurts self-esteem.
- A bad way to soothe yourself.
- Self-reported symptoms of depression- 70% increase among the people using social
media (Karim et al., 2020).
Body paragraph 1
- Excess usage of social media leads to less control over impulsive behavior, therefore
hurting self-esteem. Young adults use it as an unhealthy coping mechanism whenever
they feel low or bored (Gordon, 2021).
- Turning to Facebook or Instagram to fight boredom is an uncomfortable distraction.
- Greater the time spent on social media scrolling, higher chances to have FOMO (fear
of missing out).
- Young adults use it to heal themselves instead they are hurting their mental health
more unknowingly.
Body paragraph 2
- Excessive use of social media leads to depression, stress, and anxiety in young adults.
- People using social media more than 30 minutes a day raises the chances of getting
into the trap of social media (University of Nevada, 2019).
- Young adults when seeing the social posts of other people look forward to trying
similar things. The fear of missing out often leads to anxiety (McLean, 2022).
- Affecting thought processes and feelings and even physical health.
- They might feel anxiety if they do not keep a check on their social media for the
addictive usage time in a day.
- Instead of talking to others about their issues, people look on social media every time
in a day. This increases their addiction and chances of anxiety, stress and depression.
Body paragraph 3
- In contradiction to the dangers of social media to young adults, people feel less lonely
while connecting with others on social media.
- It helps them to strengthen their social skills and relationships (University of Nevada,
2019).
- Using it for a lesser time can bring positive impacts as well.
 - For example, if social media is used for around 30 minutes a day, without getting
trapped in its negative loop, decreases loneliness.
- Using social media mindfully can be a good way to heal mental health.
Conclusion
- In a nutshell, social media has become an integral part of everyone’s life today,
especially teens and young adults.
- Young adults believe that their whole life revolves around Facebook and Instagram,
thus, they tend to use social media as their healing tools.
- Feeling bored or depressed, social media is the solution for them.
- Instead, if it is used in a positive manner by not risking physical and mental health
and social life, social media can be a good thing.
- One should go for social media detoxification also in a while to keep their mental
health positive and happier.
- High time for young people to understand the impact of excessive use of social media
on their lives.
References

Gordon, S. (2021, January 04). How social media impacts your mental health. Retrieved from
https://www.verywellmind.com/link-between-social-media-and-mental-health-5089347

Karim F, Oyewande A A, Abdalla L F, et al. (June 15, 2020) Social Media Use and Its
Connection to Mental Health: A Systematic Review. Cureus 12(6): e8627. DOI
10.7759/cureus.8627

McLean. (2022, January 21). The social dilemma: Social media and your mental health.
Retrieved from https://www.mcleanhospital.org/essential/it-or-not-social-medias-
affecting-your-mental-health

University of Nevada. (2019, December 30). Impact of social media on Youth Mental Health.
Retrieved from https://onlinedegrees.unr.edu/online-master-of-public-health/impact-of-
social-media-on-youth-mental-health/