Social Media is an essential part of modern communication and connection. It allows people to create a sense of belonging and redefine their way of being. Adolescents are the primary users of social media since they are using it at a much greater rate than adults. Social media is a part of teenagers 'daily routine' and this makes them very dependent on it. They are constantly having to deal with the pressure of having to be online 24/7. All of this is very emotionally draining on teens and their well-being. So, it should come as no surprise that social media negatively affects teenagers' mental health in more ways than one. It has been linked with a number of psychological problems such as anxiety, depression, loneliness, jealousy, and even addiction.
Adolescents can easily fall into the trap of comparing themselves to others as they scroll through their feeds and make judgments about how they can possibly measure up. Whether teens are feeling better or worse than their friends, both types of comparisons make people feel bad and are linked to signs of depression. Gleissner 2017 explains that the media is a risk factor for the development of eating disorders and has a major influence on a person's body dissatisfaction, eating patterns, and poor self-concept. Teenagers also begin to constantly compare themselves to skinny models, and their friends, and begin to feel insecure about their own self-image. This comparison factor in social media does lead to jealousy. Seeing others 'perfect lives' on social media can make the teenager very envious because they are not living that picture-perfect life. This is why teens often feel extremely emotionally invested in their social media accounts. They are constantly pressured to have the perfect photos, captions, and videos, making their lives look as amazing as possible. This can bring a lot of anxiety to the teenager. Many teens, especially females, are known to worry a lot about what others might think of them and how their peers will respond. Gordon 2018 says that if you factor in cyberbullying, slut-shaming, sexting, and other mean online behaviors you can see why social media is a very real source of anxiety for many teens.
For many teens, social media is very addictive. The 'fear of missing out' (FOMO) is something that all teenagers struggle with when using social media. They feel the constant need to go on their smartphones and check. Having an excessive checking habit isn't very good because it can lead to dangers such as checking phones while crossing the street or even while driving. Studies have also confirmed that teenagers tend to go through some sort of withdrawal when not able to use social media. A study in specific is one from a few years ago which took place at Swansea University, they found that adolescents experienced the psychological symptoms of withdrawal when they couldn't use social media. 'We have known for some time that people who are over-dependent on digital devices report feelings of anxiety when they are stopped from using them, but now we can see that these psychological effects are accompanied by actual physiological changes' (Griffiths, 2018). Adolescents will spend countless hours on social media and they begin to lose sleep, which is valuable. Gordon 2018 explains that 'consequently, this sleep loss can lead to moodiness, a drop-in grade, and overeating, as well as exacerbate existing problems like depression, anxiety and ADD' (para 16). A lack of sleep can also damage the immune system and make it more common for teens to get sick.