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Isabella Emanuel

Professor Johnson

English 523

26 April 2020

The Big Impact

Have you ever scrolled through Instagram and then gotten off because your self-

esteem dropped? Many Instagram users constantly see perfected pictures, which causes them to

feel bad about themself. Social media allows people to share ideas and interests all from a

technological device. Research suggests that American teenagers spend a little less than 10 hours

per day using technology. In the past 10 years, teenagers' use of social media has become

extremely popular. Many teens have become addicted to social networking platforms, such as

Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, VSCO, Tik Tok, and Facebook. There are many more social media

sites, but those are the sites that teens spend the most of their time using. Social media has

negatively impacted teenagers’ in forming relationships, cyberbullying, dealing with anxiety and

depression, and facing everyday hardships.

Social media has greatly developed in previous years and drastically changed the way

that teens spend their time. When social media platforms became very popular, no one knew the

effect it would have on society. The idea of social media was much simpler and primarily used

for communication purposes ten years ago. Teens spend large amounts of their time on their

phone browsing through all the apps until they become bored. Today, social media is commonly

associated with posting edited pictures for attention and getting a crazy amount of likes. The

users of social media platforms in 2010 were a little less than 1 billion, and users have tripled

since then. Many social media platforms have had major redesigns over the years to promote the
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app or site. Social networking apps have drastically changed the way in which the world

communicates and privacy concerns have arisen. For example, Facebook has faced many privacy

scandals involving fake news posted on their app. The increasing number of social media users

suggests that these social media platforms are not going away anytime soon.

Social networking can have a substantial effect on relationships that teenagers form.

Many social media users portray themselves as living their best life and having fabulous

relationships. Many users broadcast the positive aspects of their lives, which leads to self esteem

issues for the “friends” on their accounts. Most accounts on Instagram do not show a realistic

life, but more of a life everyone wishes they were living. Clarissa Silva, a behavior scientist,

performed in-depth interviews with social media users and half of the people answered that

social networks have negatively impacted their relationships. A paradox effect is the result of

social media platforms giving off the impression of many options, but in reality it is difficult to

find someone that you click with. This idea provides a negative connotation with relationships

and social media. The paradox effect in dating is creating the impression of large amounts of

social engagement and increased popularity, but it is hiding one's true personality. The standard

that social media has set causes many bad relationships to form and self esteem issues to arise.

Social media has also allowed teenagers’ a place to vent after a breakup, which primarily leads to

more drama and issues. Social networking sites are places where teens lash out when they are

upset, but cannot take their hurtful actions back. These relationships that fall apart also led to

mental health issues, caused by social media.

Social media allows for users to portray the “network” you, which is different from the

“true” you. For many social media users, it is easier to emotionally manipulate others digitally

rather than in person due to their need for validation. Silva pulled information for a Match
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Singles in America study and provided that half of the people reported FOMO (Fear Of Missing

Out) when using social media. Teenagers today commonly have FOMO and a study showed that

60% of teens had this feeling when using social media. In the article, Silva explains, “It seems

that we’re only willing to share things that get positive reinforcement.”(Silva) Social media users

look at their friends profiles and discount themselves. Users post the 100th selfie they took,

because that is the one they look the best in and no one will see the 99 pictures prior to the

“good” one. Furthermore, these habits can contribute negativity in dating behaviors and actions.

A partner may be able to handle you at your best, but may not put forth the effort to handle you

at your worst. The habits that are being formed over social media cause rejection, detachment,

and commitment issues.

Social media has many negative effects, but cyberbullying is the biggest issue that arose

from the creation of social media. Cyberbullying manifested itself as soon as social media

became one of the primary communication tools. Teenagers communicating indirectly allows for

their word choices to be more cruel. Donna Wick, a clinical and developmental psychologist,

explains that, “Kids text all sorts of things that you would never in a million years contemplate

saying to anyone’s face.”(Wick) Wick also provided that is more common with girls, because

they typically do not want to disagree face to face. She also explained that many parents pride

themselves on teaching their daughters that it is possible to disagree without jeopardizing their

relationship, although social media has completely contradicted this. While girls try to figure out

which picture is best and boys try to gross one another out, this causes disinhibited behavior and

kids begin to gang up on one another. Cyberbullying can be a direct cause of other issues, such

as antisocial behavior, isolation, loneliness, fear, or even depression. Social media not only

causes cyberbullying but can be a leading effect to several other issues for teenagers.
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Cyberbullying has been a major effect of teenagers' constant use of social media.

Teenagers form many friends through social media and aspire to gain these peers approval. The

mental effects of social networking are greatly influenced by the other teenagers social media

users engage with. The Newport Academy explained, “the survey showed a gap between real

friends vs. “fake friends”—social media connections who teens didn’t really spend time with in

real life. In fact, only 24 percent spent time with their online friends in person, outside of

school.”(Newport Academy) In the same survey, over 50% of the teens had unfriended someone

on social media due to cyberbullying. Cyberbullying has become a big problem in the past

decade, which is a direct result of social media. Social networking and teen mental stability have

a clear connection.

The usage of smartphones over the years has increased the rates of depression and

anxiety. Adolescents began frequently using cell phones in 2010, and depressive symptoms and

suicidal rates began to climb at the time. These rising rates are suspected to be driven by social

media and more broadly the use of technology. In 2018, a study contrasted the mental stability of

teenagers who used social networks 7 hours in a day and kids who only spent 1 or 2 hours on

social media per day. The Newport Academy found, “The frequent users were more than twice

as likely to have been diagnosed with depression, been treated by a mental health professional, or

taken medication for a psychological or behavioral issue during the 12 months preceding the
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study.” (Newport Academy) A study was also done by CNN and it provided that 13 year olds

who used Facebook 50-100 times a day were 37% more worried than one who used the apps

fewer times per day. The use of social media for many hours per day can be very destructive to

kids mental stability. The utilization of social media allows anxiety and depressive thoughts to

develop in the brains of teenagers.

Social media not only causes depression and anxiety, but it causes teenagers to acquire

body image issues. Teenagers spend large portions of their time using Instagram or other apps

looking at perfectly edited pictures of celebrities and their friends. Teenagers often compare

themselves to these “flawless” pictures, causing them to feel inferior and resulting in body

imaging issues. The use of Facebook has been connected to enlarged danger of eating disorders.

It was found that 35 percent of teenagers worry about being tagged in an unflattering picture of

them. In addition, 27% are stressed out due to their appearance in pictures that they post. On top

of that, 22% of teens have negative thoughts about themselves when nobody likes or comments

on their pictures. Some teens even go as far as deleting a picture if it does not receive enough

likes. Social networking has been a result of eating disorders, but social media can also cause

users to gain weight. Social media can be a distraction and cause one to overeat if they spend too
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much time on these apps. These body imaging issues negatively affect the mental health of

teenagers and it is a result of their excessive use of social networking sites.

Sleep deprivation and stress are common effects of frequent use of social media.

Teenagers put off sleeping to look at the different social networking platforms. Sleep is

commonly in short supply for teenagers due to the hormones that they have. The artificial

bluelight that cell phones give off leads to disrupted sleep for teenagers due to a decrease in

melatonin. A lack of sleep can result in increased stress for teenagers. Sleep deprivation can also

have a great influence on one's mind, weight, and school work. Dr. Max Davie suggests that

teens get off their smartphones an hour prior to sleep to allow their brains to shut down, because

sleep is vital in order to be successful in teenagers' everyday lives. The lack of sleep overtime

increases the likelihood of teen depression, risky behavior, and substance abuse.

There are many times people turn to social media in uncomfortable situations, which is

an unhealthy habit. As mentioned previously, FOMO is a serious problem. Fear Of Missing Out

can lead many teens to continually check social media to see what is going on. Frequent users of

social media do this, because they are so concerned that they will miss an invitation to hangout

or that someone is having more fun than them. Research suggests that many people use social

networks as a “security blanket.” This term is the idea that when one gets nervous, anxious, or

lonely, they turn to their phone and social media as a social distraction. This use of social

networks only halts the personal interactions that would alleviate the anxiety. The frequent use of

social media could also be one trying to protect themselves from other issues that are present in

their life. Many teens use social networking sites to avoid their negative feelings, such as

loneliness. The use of social networks to control one's moods is very unhealthy. The

uncontrolled utilization of social platforms can lead to a downward spiral for many teenagers’.
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The “social_ animals” documentary follows three teenagers and the impact that

Instagram has had on their lives. The documentary starts with many teenagers explaining when

they started using Instagram and how it was the major talk of teenagers' lives. These teenagers

also talked about their crazy habits on Instagram, such as posting a picture to see how it looks on

their feed and then deleting it right away. One teenager in the opening even went as far as

explaining how she thought about deleting Instagram, although she did not delete due to the fact

that it occupies a lot of her time. The documentary then continues by showing thousands of

pictures taken the same way in the same locations. This documentary goes to explain the millions

of people that spend hours on Instagram daily.

The first teenager that the documentary talks about is Kaylyn Slevin who is an aspiring

fashion model and a dancer. She begins by talking about how she gained her 600,000 followers

and how her mom suggested she used Instagram as a network to benefit her. The documentary

then shows a user of Instagram commenting, “her life is perfect.” Kaylyn got a little less than

700 likes within two minutes of posting. Kaylyn explains herself as confident and unstoppable.

She is always concerned about how she looks in the picture and keeping her image. Kaylyn

works with a professional photographer to make sure her Instagram profile is full of good

content. The photographer once told her she needs to vamp up her profile. Most teenagers deem

actions like this normal, although it can have serious effects on others. This is a real life example

of posting the best version of yourself and constantly worrying about what people think of you.

The second teenager that the documentary talks about is Humza Deas, a self-taught

photographer. Deas starts by explaining how his generation is called the Instagram generation.

He then goes on to talk about the risks he takes to get good photos to post on Instagram. Humza

explained how he never fit in, but he tried to fit in by doing stuff he did not want to do. Deas
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explained how he would see his friends pictures on Instagram and how he felt left out. He

became popular on Instagram by taking pictures from the top of all the bridges in New York.

One morning, he woke up and hundreds of people were directly messaging him on Instagram

saying he was in big trouble. His followers accused him from taking the American flag off

bridges and replacing it with white flags. A reporter then interviewed him and Deas said that it

was not him, although he had an idea of who it could be. People then started commenting on his

posts or direct messaging him, calling him a snitch and sending death threats. Humza then

explained how he was a disaster not only mentally, but physically. It then turned around for him

when a reporter reached out to him and started promoting his work. Humza has still faced some

crazy comments, although he is doing very well with his photography. This shows a real

example of the cyberbullying that goes on all over social media.

The third teenager is Emma Crockett who is a high student from Ohio and stands as an

everyday teenager. Emma starts by explaining how social media is like a job. Emma then goes

on to state the rules of Instagram, such as the proper times to post and how you can’t post two

selfies next to each other. Emma explains the drama that she had with her best friend and

boyfriend, which lead to rumors being spread about her. Her classmates were harassing her with

50 notifications a day calling her all kinds of derogatory names. Her classmates even went as far

as telling her to kill herself. All these crazy harassment's eventually started to take a toll on her.

Emma then moved to Springboro High School, which was a much bigger school, to escape from

all the drama. At Springboro, she then started wishing she looked like all the others girls and

thought they were all so much better than her. Emma then got into a relationship with a boy

which spiraled out of control when he called her unattractive. This led Emma to cutting herself

and even trying to hang herself. She was very depressed due to all the negative comments that
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she had gotten throughout her high school career. All of this eventually led Emma to try to kill

herself by overdosing on antidepressants. Emma did survive, and has been to treatment for her

depression. This just goes to show that cyberbullying is not a joke and people can become

depressed or even suicidal from the nasty comments on social media accounts.

The “social_animals” documentary also went on to talk about the crazy things Instagram

users would do for their profiles. One girl talking about consistently buying her likes, so people

did not think differently of her for the number of likes she got. Two friends talked about how

they would post the same picture to see which person would get the higher number of likes. One

boy on Instagram was talking about the popularity aspect in high school associated with the

number of likes you get on your pictures. Another person talked about how they compare their

life to see if it is as good as their friends' lives. This just proves that people will do some crazy

things in order to make themselves look good on Instagram. People do not realize how all the

editing and perfecting of their pictures can hurt them and all of their friends. Social media apps

can negatively affect one's mental health without them even realizing, before it is too late. This is

the norm for all of these kids and they see absolutely nothing wrong with it.

Although there is all this research that provides how social media is bad, many people

would argue that social media is very beneficial. One benefit of social media is that it can relieve

peoples loneliness. Social networking sites allow for more communication to people all over the

world. Social media allows people to share their emotions without expressing their true identity.

Mary Quill from Tech Timest says,” One of the most important social media benefits to mental

health is its ability to change a person's lifestyle.” (Quill) Many social network influencers use

their profiles for motivational mechanisms. These influencers can impact social media users to

alter their detrimental habits, such as drinking or smoking. Many people use their profiles to
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encourage their friends to eat healthier, workout, or even be more positive. Social media can also

help with mental health research. Social media helps medical professionals reach out to people

who are facing mental illnesses. Social networks can allow the medical field to collect

information about different mental illnesses. Social media also allows for you to meet new

friends from all over the world. It does make sense that social media can allow for these

benefits, but there is a different way each benefit could be acquired. For example, motivation for

a healthy lifestyle can be found through dietitians or nutritionists who work to help someone find

a healthy lifestyle. The consequences outweigh the beneficial aspects of social media.

Finally, social networking platforms negatively affect teenagers’ mental stability in

numerous ways. Social media apps have negatively impacted teens in forming relationships,

dealing with depression and anxiety, cyberbullying, and facing everyday hardships. Social media

can also intrude on teenagers' school work and be a big distraction. As social media has become

more popular over the past 10 years, teenagers have become addicted to using Snapchat,

Instagram, Twitter, Tik Tok, VSCO, and Facebook in their daily lives. The negative effects of

these platforms can affect the billions of users of social media. These issues could be better

prevented by parents supervising their kids use of social media. Actions need to be taken before

the effects get out of hand. Teenagers can access all social media platforms multiple times per

day. Social networks have a drastic influence on the way teenagers live their everyday lives.

Works Cited

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Constantin, Gajura. "The Ways Social Media Negatively Affects Your Mental Health." Thrive

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your-mental-health/.

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"The Psychological Effects of Social Media on Teens." Newport Academy, 15 Oct. 2019,

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Quill, Mary. "5 Ways Social Media Benefits a Person's Mental Health." Tech Times, 20 Jan.

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benefits-to-a-person-s-mental-health.htm.

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2020, www.helpguide.org/articles/mental-health/social-media-and-mental-health.htm.

Silva, Clarissa. "Social Media's Impact On Relationships And Self-Esteem." Thrive Global, 6

Feb. 2018, thriveglobal.com/stories/social-media-s-impact-on-self-esteem/.

social_animals. Directed by Jonathan Ignatius Green, produced by Blake Heal and Mark Lipson,

2018.

Van Hee, Cynthia, et al. "Automatic Detection of Cyberbullying in Social Media Text." PLoS

ONE, no. 10, 8 Oct. 2018, p. e0203794. Gale in Context: Opposing Viewpoints, link-

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