Social media culture is currently part of the adolescents’ and youths’ culture. Statistics show that over 90% of teens and adolescents between 13 and 25 are active social media users. Over 75% have one or more active social media platforms, 51% of whom visit them daily (Gao et al., 2020). With current technological advancement, social media use among adolescents and young adults is inevitable despite the multiple impacts. Research studies present social media as positive and negative, but most reveal disadvantages rather than advantages (Robinson & Smith, 2020). On the positive side, social media use promotes social connectedness, providing many opportunities for adolescents and young adults to discover new information, engage with various social issues, learn about current events, and explore their identities (Akram & Kumar, 2017). It also serves as an educational tool.
In contrast, the adverse effects of social media use on adolescents and young people are more profound and evident. These include cyberbullying, addiction time wastage, the spread of misinformation, social isolation, and loneliness, as well as a decline in face-to-face interactions, leading to a loss of personal appeal (Robinson & Smith, 2020). Other long-term adverse effects include polarization, comparison, envy, decreased privacy, echo chambers, cyberstalking, and harassment. Most of these adverse impacts have a significant influence on adolescents and young adults’ psychological and mental health (Gao et al., 2020). Even with these multiple disadvantages, social media use among adolescents remains inevitable. It is essential to guide the most affected groups in society to adopt healthy social media behaviors.
Fox, J., & Moreland, J. J. (2015). The dark side of social networking sites: Exploring the relational and psychological stressors associated with Facebook use and affordances. Computers in human behavior, pp. 45, 168–176. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2014.11.083
Jennifer Moreland is a long-time medical practitioner at The Research Institute and Nationwide Children’s Hospital, and Jesse Fox is a university teacher at Ohio State University. The two are well-known scholars who jointly researched the dark side of social networking platforms. The study gives essential insights into the adverse effects of social media networks, especially Facebook, which is the most used platform. The authors discuss stressors from these networks, including relationship conflict and tension, jealousy, and social comparisons. According to Fox and Moreland, users of social media networks face fear of keeping up with and miss the demands of relationship maintenance.
The article was chosen for the study because it gives good insights into some adverse effects of social media, especially the most used platform, Facebook. The findings relate to the current research question, “What are the long-term negative effects of social media on adolescents and young adults?”. The article will provide vital information to support the current research project’s claims and arguments. Insights from Fox and Moreland on impacts like depression will be helpful. The article answers the research question by giving some examples of the effects brought by social media on teens, including social media comparison, relationship conflicts, and tension. These examples will act as supporting information for the research. Its insights help devices solve the problem of social media for adolescents—for example, stress management techniques.
Gao, J., Zheng, P., Jia, Y., Chen, H., Mao, Y., Chen, S., … & Dai, J. (2020). Mental health problems and social media exposure during the COVID-19 outbreak. Plos one, 15(4), e0231924. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0231924
The article authors are lecturers for public health at Fudan University in China and are also scholars. They have relevant knowledge and experiences on issues and topics relating to mental health and, therefore, can write a good source on psychological problems that come with social media. Their study explored various mental health issues associated with exposure to social media, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. People spenting more time on social media since the containment measures caused limited physical interactions. In the article, the authors explored the extent of psychological problems associated with social media, with Wuhan as their case study.
According to the article, the prevalence of anxiety and depression among adolescents and young adults has increased to 48.3% following the prolonged use of online sites like Facebook during the COVID-19 pandemic. The article revealed that rumors and misinformation spread through social media contribute to mental health problems such as stigma, fear, and anxiety. The study’s findings revealed that spending excessive time on the Internet leads to mass trauma, something that affected most adolescents and young adults during COVID. Most of the psychological health issues faced by people result from peer pressure that is facilitated through misinformation across social media platforms. The misinformation may be in terms of appearances, lifestyles, and achievements.
The article was chosen for the current study because it shares resourceful insights on the negative consequences of people’s exposure to social media. The study findings are based on the testable results generated through an in-depth investigation of the Wuhan case study experiment. These findings are considered helpful in providing research-based answers to the current study’s research question. The article answers the research questions by providing examples of the negative consequences of social media on teens, including anxiety, stigma, and fear. The article’s findings reveal how spending excessive time on the Internet contributes to mass trauma, and this is a good answer to the research question. The source will still help search for ways to reduce time spent on social media.
Oberst, U., Wegmann, E., Stodt, B., Brand, M., & Chamarro, A. (2017). Negative consequences from heavy social networking in adolescents: The mediating role of fear of missing out. Journal of Adolescence, 55, 51-60. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2016.12.008
Ursula Oberst teaches at Ramon Llull University in the psychology department; Elisa Wegmann, Benjamin Stodt, and Matthias Brand are general psychology teachers at Duisburg-Essen University; and Andrés Chamarro is a lecturer at Autonomous University. They jointly researched the negative consequences of adolescents’ excessive use of social media networking (Oberst et al., 2017). As prominent authors on psychology-related issues, the article authors have much relevant knowledge of how social media can affect adolescents’ mental health.
The study findings revealed that SNS (social networking sites) are very attractive to adolescents, and their excessive use causes various adverse psychological consequences. For example, the authors revealed that adolescents and young adults are the primary victims of depression and anxiety caused by the excessive use of social media platforms. Peer pressure makes adolescents compare themselves with others based on their posts without considering the credibility and truth of the information they post. This, in turn, causes anxiety and unattainable life expectations, which affect their quality of life. According to the article, the most common social media platforms impacting the physiological well-being of adolescents include Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter.
The article was chosen for the current study because it is peer-reviewed, and the research findings documented are within the scope of the study, which is the long-term effects of social media. It answers the research question by revealing different ways in which excessive use of social media platforms negatively impacts the mental health of adolescents. Examples of such answers include depression and anxiety. By understanding these adverse effects, solutions are available to solve such a problem that affects teens and young adults. It also provides essential and relevant insights that support the current research question. The study also explores social media dynamics and their impact on different social groups, including adolescents and young adults.
Seabrook, E. M., Kern, M. L., & Rickard, N. S. (2016). Social networking sites, depression, and anxiety: a systematic review. JMIR mental health, 3(4), e5842. https://mental.jmir.org/2016/4/e50
Elizabeth Seabrook is a clinical and cognitive neuroscience lecturer at Monash University, and Margaret Kern is a psychology lecturer at the University of Melbourne. Nikki Rickard is also a lecturer. The three scholars are long-time authors of various psychology and mental health articles. Seabrook et al.’s (2016) article shares vital information about social networking platforms and their effects on users. The article explores how SNSs (social networking sites) have become pervasive in our modern culture, increasing the negative impact on users’ mental health. The article’s primary objective was to determine the context of anxiety and depression as some of the critical effects of the SNSs. It also assesses mental illness, measuring how an individual’s psychological well-being is affected by social media. The study findings revealed how unfavorable social comparisons and interactions through SNSs contribute to higher and increased levels of anxiety and depression among social media users. Other negative impacts include reduced self-esteem due to comparing achievements attained by different individuals seen on online networking platforms. The author’s assertions offer essential educational information about social media and its adverse impacts on addicted people.
The source was chosen for the current study because it explores the possible negative impacts of social media on its users, which is within the scope of the subject study topic. The study topic is the long-term adverse effects of social media on adolescents and young adults. The article revealed inevitable adverse consequences of excessive use of social media platforms that are relevant to answering the current study’s primary research question. These adverse effects, as answers to the research question, include increased anxiety and depressive symptoms and reduced self-esteem. The other significant effect that will help build the current research is the addictive part of SNSs. Knowledge and understanding of these negative repercussions of social media on youths will help to back up arguments on the research topic. The article was also chosen for the study because it is peer-reviewed, easily navigable, and accessible for reference and acknowledgment.
Robinson, L., & Smith, C. (2020, January 16). Social media and mental health. HelpGuide.org. https://www.helpguide.org/articles/mental-health/social-media-and-mental-health.htm
Lawrence Robinson and Merida Smith are managing directors of the Help Guide Writing Organization and reputable scholars. They jointly researched the relationship between social media use and the user’s mental health. The author’s website publication about social media and mental health revealed a strong link between adverse long-term impacts and consequences of excessive social media use and higher self-harm, depressive symptoms, loneliness, suicidal thoughts, and anxiety. Robinson and Smith (2020) state that inadequacy significantly affects an individual’s appearance and life. The authors state that although people know that most images posted across social media platforms are manipulated, they feel insecure and incomplete regarding physical appearance and lifestyle. Social media platforms enhance connectedness, enabling people from the global divide to share personal life experiences and achievements, something that causes peer pressure, anxiety, depression, and a sense of non-performance for those who have accomplished little in their lives. The website’s publication by these reputable scholars also explored the adverse effects of social media addiction on its users. Yes, using social media is inevitable, given the level of technological advancement. Still, its addiction leads to time waste, loneliness, and a lack of personal appeal, something that can subject the victims to anxiety and depressive disorders.
Instagram and Facebook postings exaggerate an individual’s achievements, especially for those who have not achieved as much. As a result, most social media users suffer from low self-esteem and anxiety. The publication further discussed depression and cyberbullying as among the critical negative consequences of social media on its users. According to the authors, at least 10% of the teens using social media fall into cyberbullying traps, something that impacts their mental well-being. For example, the offensive comments posted about teens’ physical appearances and lack of social authority are demoralizing and assaultive, contributing to their low self-esteem and anxiety. Prolonged cyberbullying experiences could lead to suicidal thoughts, as victims may feel like they do not fit in with society.
The article was chosen for the current study because it meets the CRAAP test criteria and explores various adverse effects of social media use, which are within the scope. The source provides some essential answers to the research question, which includes low self-esteem due to comparisons of physical appearances, depression, suicidal thoughts, and anxiety. Since the above answers fit well in addressing the research question since they are theprecisely consequences teens face while spending time on social media. Information from this source also will serve as evidence to back up research. The article’s analysis proves its resourcefulness by offering insightful information necessary to answer the current research question. Again, the current research topic is a review of the long-term adverse effects of social media on adolescents and young adults.
Akram, W., & Kumar, R. (2017). A study on positive and negative effects of social media on society. International journal of computer sciences and engineering, 5(10), 351–354. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Waseem-Akram 19/publication/323903323_A_Study_on_Positive_and_Negative_Effects_of_Social_Media_on_Society
Akram and Kumar are computer application teachers at GDC Mendhar in India. The two are also well-known and reputable scholars on social issues. They jointly researched social media’s positive and negative effects on society. According to their study findings, social media improves social connectedness and is an educational tool, especially for current events. However, it has multiple adverse consequences for society. Examples of those consequences covered in the article include social media use addictions, misinformation, online scams, fraud, unethical hacking, time wastage, failing in school, and cyber harassment. The learners are most affected by the increased screen time and lack of academic concentration as they are actively present on the most common social media platforms, such as Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. The article reveals that school-going children consistently suffer from cyberbullying through abusive comments and immoral online content that could affect their mental well-being.
Similarly, online fraud and scamming have increased as social media platforms have become a money-making tool through digital advertisements. People lose money via scams and fraud. The misinformation facilitated through social media postings damages individuals and organizations. This misinformation on individual and organizational profiling is facilitated by individuals who only care about serving their interests. For businesses, false information could reduce their customer base and overall market share significantly. Lastly, excessive use of social media platforms reduces real-time and physical human contact, destroying personal appeal and the capability to build relationships. Physical socialization is becoming a thing of the past as most people emphasize communication through online platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and WhatsApp.
The article was chosen for the current study because it gives vital insights into real-life situations on social media and their negative consequences. The adverse effects given by the article, including addictions, misinformation, online scams, fraud, unethical hacking, time wastage, failing in school, and cyber harassment, are exact answers to the research question. These insights will also help to support the claims of the research project. The findings document the serious adverse effects of social media use on society, which are within the scope of my research project. Information from the source will also aid in solving the problem that comes with the prolonged use of social media. Lastly, the article is peer-reviewed, meets CRAAP test criteria, and is published in an accredited database by reputable scholars, making it the most credible for the current study.
Kim, H. H. S. (2017). The impact of online social networking on adolescent psychological well-being (WB): a population-level analysis of Korean school-aged children. International Journal of Adolescence and Youth, 22(3), 364–376. https://doi.org/10.1080/02673843.2016.1197135
Harris Hyun-soo Kim is a scholar and lecturer in the Sociology Department at the University of Ewha Woman in the Korean Republic. He shares multiple insights on how online media exposure affects teens’ mental well-being. Kim’s (2017) study extensively surveyed Korean youths using the most recent mental health data. The researcher sought to determine whether using social networking technologies and online platforms like Facebook has negative or positive impacts and outcomes on the adolescent’s physiological well-being. To elaborate on its points, the author explained how youths and adolescents believe and do things through imitation, comparisons, and peer pressure, making them vulnerable to the adverse psychological effects of excessive social media use. Internet platforms like Instagram contribute to long-term aggressive behaviors, thoughts, and physiological arousal.
According to Kim’s (2017) article, adolescents adopt aggressive tendencies and antisocial attitudes through social media use. The peer pressure makes them prone to substance abuse disorders and negative self-perceptions. Again, adolescents make online comparisons in terms of physical appearance and the dress code and sometimes feel uncomfortable with themselves. The pressure to upgrade their physical appearance leads to immoral dress codes, something that exposes them to physical and sexual assaults. The study findings revealed that social media use lowers adolescents’ self-worth and esteem, exposing them to risks of depression, suicidal thoughts, and stress. It also exposes them to cyberbullying, distress, and poor mental functioning.
The article was chosen for the study because it focuses more on how adolescents are affected negatively by social media, which is also the most vulnerable group worth focus. Sufficient insights concerning social media and its effects on the users’ mental well-being are provided, forming the basis for answering the current research question. It also provides multiple answers to the research question including risks of depression, suicidal thoughts, stress, and exposure to cyberbullying, leading to poor mental functioning and distress. Various evidence from the article will help support my research project’s arguments.
Allcott, H., Braghieri, L., Eichmeyer, S., & Gentzkow, M. (2020). The welfare effects of social media. American Economic Review, 110(3), 629-676. https://pubs.aeaweb.org/doi/pdfplus/10.1257/aer.20190658
Hunt Allcott and Matthew Gentzkow are research associates in economics at Stanford University. Luca Braghieri and Sarah Eichmeyer are lecturers in decision sciences at Bocconi University. The four authors are also scholars of economics, decision science, and mental health issues. They jointly researched social media’s effects on social welfare (Allcott et al., 2020).
The article by Allcott et al. (2020) explores how social media profoundly affects our modern world. It flagged Facebook as the leading platform and a significant contributor to some psychological problems for its users. The study findings revealed numerous harms and various negative consequences of social media. For example, social media’s mental health is highly affected by the excessive use of Twitter and Facebook, which subjects people to depression and stress. These mental health issues result from things like harassment, insults, and social comparisons. Increased screen time is among the leading causes of these effects, exposing the victims to various stressors.
The article was chosen for the current study because it offers a lot of content relevant to the current research topic. The study sought to study the long-term adverse effects of social media on adolescents and young adults. The article pinpointed and explored specific negative effects of social media use on people and society, which forms the basis for answering the current study’s research topic. It also answers research questions such as stress, social comparisons, harassment, and insults. The article shows the mental health effects of the Internet on teens and young adults, and such information backs up the claims of the research project. The source is also credible and published in an accredited database like Google Scholar.
Berryman, C., Ferguson, C. J., & Negy, C. (2018). Social media use and mental health among young adults. Psychiatric Quarterly, pp. 89, 307–314. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11126-017-9535-6
Chloe Berryman and Charles Nagy lectured at Central Florida University and Christopher Ferguson at Stetson University in the United States. They are also prominent scholars on social media and social life matters. The authors jointly researched the effects of social media use on mental health among young adults. They revealed various adverse psychological health outcomes associated with the use of social media platforms. These effects include decreased empathy, suicidality, and loneliness. They also pinpointed that social anxiety is among the most common mental health problems associated with social media use.
The article was chosen for the current study because it investigated matters within the planned project scope. It gives numerous answers to the research question like psychological health effects, including suicidality, loneliness, and decreased empathy. These insights will serve as the supporting evidence for the research. Multiple ideas from this article will aid in writing concrete and good research papers. The article focused on issues concerning adverse consequences associated with social media, which directly relate to the current study. It still helps to get insights into solving the problem of long online spending. The article is also peer-reviewed, easily accessible, and more well-organized and structured to comprehend.
Pantic, I. (2014). Online social networking and mental health. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 17(10), 652–657. https://doi.org/10.1089%2Fcyber.2014.0070
Dr. Igor Pantic is a lecturer of medical psychology at the University of Belgrade and a reputable author on mental health issues. He shares essential information on profound interaction and communication changes from past decades of social media networking. Such changes lead to psychiatric disorders. Pantic’s (2014) article explores how prolonged spending on social media networking platforms like Facebook relates to depression and reduced self-esteem, especially for adolescents and children. Social media use addiction makes adolescents and young adults consume much of their productive time on different social media sites, hence impacting their ability to pursue life goals. It also affects the learner’s academic performance through time waste. Other adverse effects of social media use explored in the article include increased prevalence of personality disorder, reduced self-esteem, and anxiety and depressive symptoms.
The article was chosen for the study because it explored different adverse effects of social media use on adolescents, which is within the current study’s scope. It provides a variety of answers to research questions to choose and support the project, including; affecting learner’s academic performance and results through time-wasting, increased dominance of personality disorder, low self-esteem, and depressive and anxiety symptoms. Other answers are addiction, psychiatric disorders, and more time on screens. Information from the source will give some supporting evidence to back up claims of the research evidence. It offers relevant and insightful information supporting the research project’s claim. The most relevant information explored includes various adverse effects of social media use.
While tackling this work, I reached out to peers and got some essential insights from them about my research topic: the long-term adverse effects of social media on adolescents and young adults. I also compared their ideas with mine to see whether I was on the right track. I also connected with our librarian to gather more ideas.
In doing my research, I used the Google search engine and Google Scholar. I used key terms such as “negative impacts of social media.” The reason for using these searches is because they are available at any time and are user-friendly. The seeking process is going well with the help of Google Search and Scholar. I have obtained essential insights about my topic so far.
For my source list and annotations, I chose the APA style for formatting my work because it is simple and preferred by most researchers. In finding my sources, I have included articles and websites. The peis more exciting since it entails a thorough process to ensure everything is done correctly. I have nothing to worry about since there is good guidance on how it should be done.
My work shows good progress towards accounting for our course learning outcomes. I have followed instructions and tried to portray good communication and writing skills regarding the course. In my work, there is a source list with an introduction of the source, the reason for choosing it, and why its information is suitable. It also acknowledged the outside information from the sources by citing them.
Akram, W., & Kumar, R. (2017). A study on positive and negative effects of social media on societyrocess International journal of computer sciences and engineering, 5(10), 351–354. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Waseem-Akram 19/publication/323903323_A_Study_on_Positive_and_Negative_Effects_of_Social_Media_on_Society
Allcott, H., Braghieri, L., Eichmeyer, S., & Gentzkow, M. (2020). The welfare effects of social media. American Economic Review, 110(3), 629-676. https://pubs.aeaweb.org/doi/pdfplus/10.1257/aer.20190658
Berryman, C., Ferguson, C. J., & Negy, C. (2018). Social media use and mental health among young adults. Psychiatric Quarterly, pp. 89, 307–314. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11126-017-9535-6
Fox, J., & Moreland, J. J. (2015). The dark side of social networking sites: Exploring the relational and psychological stressors associated with Facebook use and affordances. Computers in human behavior, pp. 45, 168–176. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2014.11.083
Gao, J., Zheng, P., Jia, Y., Chen, H., Mao, Y., Chen, S., … & Dai, J. (2020). Mental health problems and social media exposure during the COVID-19 outbreak. Plos one, 15(4), e0231924. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0231924
Kim, H. H. S. (2017). The impact of online social networking on adolescent psychological well-being (WB): a population-level analysis of Korean school-aged children. International Journal of Adolescence and Youth, 22(3), 364–376. https://doi.org/10.1080/02673843.2016.1197135
Oberst, U., Wegmann, E., Stodt, B., Brand, M., & Chamarro, A. (2017). Negative consequences from heavy social networking in adolescents: The mediating role of fear of missing out. Journal of Adolescence, 55, 51-60. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2016.12.008
Pantic, I. (2014). Online social networking and mental health. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 17(10), 652–657. https://doi.org/10.1089%2Fcyber.2014.0070
Robinson, L., & Smith, C. (2020, January 16). Social media and mental health. HelpGuide.org. https://www.helpguide.org/articles/mental-health/social-media-and-mental-health.htm
Seabrook, E. M., Kern, M. L., & Rickard, N. S. (2016). Social networking sites, depression, and anxiety: a systematic review. JMIR mental health, 3(4), e5842. https://mental.jmir.org/2016/4/e50