In today’s digital age, social media has become an integral part of the daily lives of teenagers. Experiences such as messaging, totting, TikTok, and Facebook provide ways for communication, self-expression, and interaction. Therefore, Social networking sites offer numerous advantages and disadvantages, such as teens’ mental well-being. These social media platforms provide a non-real world that is curated images, cyberbullying, and fear of missing out. Also, the addicting nature of these platforms can lead to anxiety, depression, and other mental issues. The article’s main idea will be the investigation of the psychological context of social media’s influence on teens. The recommendations to solve this problem in society will also be provided.
The rise of social media has transformed the way teenagers perceive themselves and their relationships with others. The primary concern is the fact that there are so many image retouching and airbrushing apps, such as Instagram and Snapchat. The prominence of unnatural beauty standards that are used to promote unrealistic body images is increasing constantly. As teenagers, who seldom happen to be in front of these “be all and to all mistakes” perfection messages, enacted by almost all the most preeminent celebrities of the time, hardly see themselves as good enough. Many studies have clearly shown the existence of a straightforward relationship between elaborate social media use and body image dissatisfaction among adolescents.
Moreover, cyberbullying has emerged as a significant issue, with teenagers being targeted through comments, direct messages, and even fake accounts. Social media anonymity unchains the horses of bullying behavior, which results in worsening the psychological state of the victim to the highest level. Targets of cyberbullying via technology encounter high levels of stress, nerves, and depression, which often have effects on one’s mental health in the long run.
Furthermore, the constant need for validation and comparison on social media fuels teenagers’ fear of missing out (FOMO) (Tanrikulu & Mouratidis, p.28689-28699). Having missed an outing/event where they feel sorry, they can feel lonely, inferior, and worried. Such a thing not only magnifies the problems with our teens’ mental health but also disrupts their standard relationship patterns and prevents them from leading a face-to-face lifestyle.
The social media influences on adolescents’ mental-health issues are an issue causing the deliverance of scholars and health care providers more research. Many researchers have found that there exists a complex link between social media use and psychological well-being concerning social isolation, depression, anxiety, and body image cause. The present paper is an overview of the facts discovered by these studies devoted to the problem of the correlation between the usage of social networks and adolescents’ mental health. It aims to explain the intricate relationship between social media and the state of mind of teenagers in detail.
Several studies have found a significant association between excessive social media use and symptoms of depression and anxiety among teenagers. In the research in which Twenge and Marttila et al. participated, this relationship between high social media usage and increased loneliness and depression over time was found. To be more precise, a meta-analysis by Ivie et al. (165-174) concluded that more of the use of social media is mainly associated with a higher probability of depressive and anxiety-related symptoms in adolescents.
Social media platforms often portray unrealistic beauty standards through edited and filtered images, leading to body image dissatisfaction among teenagers. In the study “Effect of Instant Gratification on Body Dissatisfaction among Young Women,” Fioravanti (p.419-458) and others found that the presence of photos that portray an idealized body on social media is relevant to body dissatisfaction among young women. Besides, a study by Pedalino & Camerini (p.12) clarified that social comparisons in social media form an essential attribute of negative adolescent body image perceptions.
The level of anonymity and accessibility that social media have created is a significant factor that cyberbullying has been attracting many teens involved, which in turn can isolate or deeply hurt many youths. AlQaderi et al. (p. 2-13) claimed cyberbullying as a “willful and repeated harm, Executed through the use of computers, smartphones, and other electronic devices.” Additionally, the research results showed that people bullied online are prone to depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem (Albikawi, 3-15).
The fear of missing out (FOMO) is a phenomenon fueled by social media, where individuals feel anxious or distressed when they perceive others to be having more rewarding experiences. According to Tanrikulu & Mouratidis (p.28689-28699), they found that higher social media engagement levels were related to higher FOMO, which then led to a surge of anxiety and almost diminished life satisfaction among adolescents.
In the world of reviews, the relationship between teens and social media use is understandably challenging from the reviewed literature. Along with social media providing communication outlets and possibilities for personal expression, it is essential to recognize the risks of over-usage and exposure to inappropriate content that might result in adolescents’ welfare problems. An avenue that future research must delve into is unearthing the resilience factors and designing solutions to lessen the blow of social media on teenagers’ mental wellness.
Education noting the way social media promotes the inadequate mental health of teenagers is a step toward ensuring that this effect becomes insignificant. Schools and the media must collaborate to have digital literacy programs where students learn to critically evaluate online content, identify and differentiate between facts and misinformation, and use social media responsibly. Amid the prevailing pedestal the digital footprint has gained for many socially, there is the presence of parental burglary, caregivers, and community input, which is also vital. Teens should be shown how to distinguish between healthy and unhealthy habits online. Teens can ensure sound development of the mind by equipping them with the necessary skills.
With the growing technology, responsible digital behavior is critical for teenagers not to damage their mental health while socializing through social media. For families and schools, parents and teachers can create an atmosphere where kids engage in offline activities that motivate them to control screen time while retaining their social media accounts. Teenagers can also control the nasty effects of excessive use of the internet and application networks as follows: monitor and limit the time for them to be regulated to prevent them from being detrimental to our children.
Creating safe and encouraging online communities is a contribution to the reduction of the negative impact of social media on teenagers’ mental health. The fast-paced environment, which gates in social media algorithms that mainly operate by auto-detecting, receiving reviews, and executing action plans at a quick pace, is critical for social media algorithms because they guard against situations of cyberbullying. They additionally suggest that healthy communication, empathy, and digital citizenship are about shaping a community where members always care for and like one another to improve the internet.
Parents are highly significant, just like the tools for supporting their teens online and promoting their mental health. Modern parents should be vigilant and highly involved in their children’s digital lives to have them as early as possible and to be able to provide timely assistance if necessary. In addition to protective gear tools and screen time limitations, parents may use software to guarantee their teenager’s safety in the World Wide Web.
Moreover, one must seek approachable and inclusive psychic classrooms for youth-oriented social media problems. Schools, medical facilities, and community centers may also operate discussion rooms dedicated to mental health issues, hold psychological treatment sessions, and provide support groups based on the community’s children’s needs. By eradicating the stigma and mental health issues and availing the critical assistance and necessary support at appropriate occasions, we make it easier for teenagers to seek help and adapt favorably to today’s digital world.
The issue of mental health implications of social media on adolescents is a comprehensive problem that cannot be taken care of even by government authorities, technology companies, but also parents, and educators in the first place. Gen Z teens could only do with social media nowadays. By encouraging digital literacy, cultivating reasonable use, instilling a tightly knit community, enabling parental monitoring, and allocating mental health resources, media negatives such as cyberbullying can thrive. At the same time, the teens remain secure online. By collaborating, we could build a world where the future digital natives can contribute to building a healthier digital environment that future generations will enjoy.
Albikawi, Zainab Fatehi. “Anxiety, Depression, Self-Esteem, Internet Addiction and Predictors of Cyberbullying and Cybervictimization among Female Nursing University Students: A Cross Sectional Study.” International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 20.5 (2023): 4293.
AlQaderi, Nour, et al. “Phone addiction, cyberbullying, and mental health amongst young adults in the United Arab Emirates: a cross-sectional study.” BMC Psychology 11.1 (2023): 313.
Fioravanti, Giulia, et al. “How the exposure to beauty ideals on social networking sites influences body image: A systematic review of experimental studies.” Adolescent research review 7.3 (2022): 419-458.
Ivie, Elizabeth J., et al. “A meta-analysis of the association between adolescent social media use and depressive symptoms.” Journal of Affective Disorders 275 (2020): 165-174.
Marttila, Eetu, Aki Koivula, and Pekka Räsänen. “Does excessive social media use decrease subjective well-being? A longitudinal analysis of the relationship between problematic use, loneliness and life satisfaction.” Telematics and Informatics 59 (2021): 101556.
Pedalino, Federica, and Anne-Linda Camerini. “Instagram use and body dissatisfaction: the mediating role of upward social comparison with peers and influencers among young females.” International journal of environmental research and public health 19.3 (2022): 1543.
Tanrikulu, Gulfem, and Athanasios Mouratidis. “Life aspirations, school engagement, social anxiety, social media use and fear of missing out among adolescents.” Current Psychology 42.32 (2023): 28689-28699.