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Sophia Cron

Professor Barnes

English Composition 1201

27 October 2019

Annotated Bibliography

My essay will attempt the ongoing question of whether or not social media affects the

mental and social health of adolescents. Many studies have shown that mental conditions such as

depression and anxiety have been linked to the use of social media. I would like to research how

and why social media has a negative affect on people when it is intended for good. Is social

media the true cause of these mental illnesses, or is it just a coincidence that people who suffer

from these illnesses are on social media excessively?

Charles, Shamard, and M.d. “Social Media Linked to Rise in Mental Health Disorders in Teens,

Survey Finds.” NBCNews.com, NBCUniversal News Group, 15 Mar. 2019,

www.nbcnews.com/health/mental-health/social-media-linked-rise-mental-health-

disorders-teens-survey-finds-n982526.

This article is from nbcnews.com and was written by Shamard Charles on March 14,

2019. Shamard Charles is a M.d. and all of his information is backed up with experiments and

research. This article debriefs the ongoing question of whether or not social media is linked to

depression and why it is or is not. Throughout the article it makes it clear that not all mental

illnesses are related to this problem, but most that appear in young adolescents is directly related

to social media. The rise of mental illnesses in young teenagers spiked in the late 2000s when

social media became more popular, but it only affected young adults and teenagers and not older
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adults. Another study was conducted which proved how sleep is important to the functions of the

brain, and teenagers now are getting less sleep than previous generations. Charles points out that

the use of technology before bed delays the sleep cycle by at least an hour. With less sleep comes

more mental instability, which could play a part in mental illnesses in teenagers. Since this

article was written just recently this year, it is still valid and can be used for information and

research. It is also credible because of the author’s medical background and experience with the

topic. His intended audience is anyone that is interested in the topic of social media and how it

affects teens — more specifically, parents who might be dealing with a teenager who spends an

excessive amount of time on electronics. Schamard linked the use of social media to other issues

which could cause mental illnesses, such as sleep deprivation, which will help increase the depth

of my article.

Fader, Sarah, and Victor Acedera. “Social Media Obsession and Anxiety.” Anxiety and

Depression Association of America, ADAA, adaa.org/social-media-obsession.

This article is from adaa.org and was written by Sarah Fader and Victor Acedera in

October 2018. This article discusses many of the ways that social media can cause anxiety or

depression for young teenagers such as peer pressure and cyberbullying. They used anonymous

surveys to study and analyze the behavior of teenagers and how social media affects their every

day lives. They came to the conclusion that social media decreases the ability of people to form

social skills, which often induces anxiety for teenagers. Towards the end of the article they made

it clear that their research was for the purpose of others learning more about the effects of social

media on young teenagers. Both of these authors have a M.d. and are qualified to be writing

about this subject. I believe that this article will help me draw up better conclusions because it
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talks about ways to prevent anxiety and depression induced by social media. I will also be able to

use the examples as to why social media can affect mental health.

Hurley, Katie. “Social Media and Teens: How Does Social Media Affect Mental Health?”

Psycom.net - Mental Health Treatment Resource Since 1986, www.psycom.net/social-

media-teen-mental-health.

This article is from psycom.net and was written by Katie Hurley on March 7, 2019.

Hurley is a psychotherapist for children and teenagers and she also provides therapy for families

and parents. She specializes in correctional behavior of young teenagers and children. In this

article, she talks about how there are no long term studies that have proven that social media has

an affect on humans, but there are short term studies that have worrisome results. Through her

personal experience with teenagers and her own research, she realized that although there are

many upsides to having a social media, it also has several downsides. For teenagers, specifically,

who are still growing into a unique individual, social media can be very discouraging, especially

for those who are insecure. Hurley found that teenagers who were diagnosed with depression or

anxiety due to hormones are at an increased risk of suicide or self harm due to social media, and

this made her wonder how it affects those who do not have a hormonal imbalance. Studies have

proven that those who do not have a hormonal imbalance still have an increased amount of

anxiety and mood swings which can often turn into depression. This information will help me

with my article because it discusses people with a hormonal imbalance and how social media

affects them. This will broaden my topic so I will be able to go into depth on different areas of

the situation. The information in this article is relevant because the author has dealt with
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hundreds of different patients in her life and has experience with the subject. It was also written

very recently so the information is still relevant.

Kawasaki, Guy, and Peg Fitzpatrick. The Art of Social Media: Power Tips for Power Users.

2014.

This book was written by Guy Kawasaki and Peg Fitzpatrick and it was published in June

2014. Unlike the other articles that have been discussing the negative aspects of social media,

this book discusses both the upsides and downsides of social media and how to cope with it. One

of the most essential ideas of the book is that you have to ignore the hate you receive on social

media, and if you cannot do this, then social media is not where you should be spending your

time. It also talks about how the negative influences can impact you in a positive way. You can

either wallow in the sorrow that social media brings you or do something to change it. Although

I do not agree with everything the book discusses, I believe it brings a good counterargument to

the table and presents some valid information. The authors are people who have used social

media to build their careers and have overcome several obstacles to make their lives run

smoothly with social media.

Luxton, David D, et al. “Social Media and Suicide: A Public Health Perspective.” Publication of

the American Health Associations, May 2012.

This article is from aphapublications.org and was written by David Luxton on November

28, 2011. It focuses on the correlations of social media popularity and the increase of suicide and

whether or not they are related. As social media has become more popular, suicides in teenagers

have become more prominent throughout the United States, and the majority of these suicides
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have been traced back to the person’s social media and how they were being treated. When

people think of the term “social media” only ‘surface images’ come to mind, such as Instagram,

Snapchat, Facebook, or Twitter. What does not come to mind is what happens on these apps such

as cyberbullying, pornography, and so much more. When young teenagers are exposed to these

things, they become emotionally vulnerable and compare themselves to others. Although not all

suicides are linked to social media, around 70% of suicides have been linked to social media.

Due to this, many people believe that social media is the reason why more teenagers are being

diagnosed with depression and anxiety. This article is very important for my research because

suicide is one of the most prominent factors that links social media to depression in teenagers.

This article was written in 2011 and teen suicide rates have skyrocketed since then. The author of

this article has a Ph.D. and used statistics to support his claim, which is what makes this article

valid. It is based off of facts rather than educated guesses or opinions. The purpose of this article

is to make parents and adults more aware of the negative affects social media has on teenagers.

Marko and Robert Hughes, directors. Top Documentary Films. Top Documentary Films, 16 Feb.

2019, topdocumentaryfilms.com/plugged-in-true-toxicity-social-media-revealed/.

The “Plugged In” documentary was directed by Marko and Robert Hughes and was

published on February 16, 2019. The documentary uses medical information to prove that an

increased time on social media can affect our brains physically. When a person spends a certain

amount of time on their phone, a chemical in the brain, called dopamine, is released into the

central nervous system. This reaction causes a person to feel very narcissistic and can alter their

mood completely. This reaction can also cause people to feel insecure and lonely. With this

reaction added on to the negative affects of social media, it leaves people feeling depressed and
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anxious. The documentary also uses statistics to prove that the increased use of social media is

directly related to the amount of teenagers that have been diagnosed with depression and/or

anxiety. This was published just recently this year, so all of the facts are still valid. Although the

directors are not medical professionals, they cited Sam Vaknin, a behavioral researcher. The

information in this documentary made me more curious about the effects of dopamine on the

brain, and with more research I will be able to discuss how it affects teenagers who use social

media.

Mir, Elina. “Social Media and Adolescents' and Young Adults' Mental Health.” National Center

for Health Research, 17 Oct. 2018, www.center4research.org/social-media-affects-

mental-health/..

This article is from center4research.org and was written by Elina Mir on October 17,

2018. It discusses that there is no specific evidence that social media is related to mental

illnesses, however, the more social media became popular the more adults were diagnosed with a

mental illness. They used statistics to show that the popularity of social media was directly

related to the percentage increase in people with depression or anxiety. They did a study that

proved that the more time people spent on their phones, the more depressed they would feel. The

results of their study proved that teenagers and adults who spend over five hours a day on their

phone would have more risk factors for suicide. The study also showed that teenagers who spend

the most time on an electronic device in their day are more likely to have anxiety. The audience

intended for this article is the parents that are concerned with the amount of time that their kids

spend on social media. The author is credible because she is a professor at San Diego State

University and conducted experiments with young adults and teenagers. I will be able to use her
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experiment and results in my essay to further prove my claim that social media has a negative

affect on teenagers.