Social Media is the Silent Killer of Teenager's Mental Health

Social media is the place for teenagers to go to for anything. Need inspiration? Help? Friends? Fun? Social media is the one that provides it. Like a drug social media clings on teenagers and adolescents and holds them, keeping them addicted. The problem is it is a "silent killer" for your mental health. These platforms that are created for social interaction and outlets for users can turn negative quick. The feeds about cute dogs can turn into feeds of cyberbullies and fake influencers promoting brands for their benefit in an instant.

Around 40% of adolescents use their phones before bed and as well as when they wake up, causing sleep loss, eye straining and drowsiness. Sleep is a very important to teenage mental health development.

A study about social media and mental health said that females are more addicted to social media outlets than males. It also stated that passive activity lead to depression more than active activity. Scrolling carelessly, absorbing every single post and feed overwhelms teenagers, creating stress, anxiety and even depression.

Social comparison is popular among teenagers with the use of social media. Adolescents socially compare their own lives with the ones online, for example an influencer has a super luxurious car and this teenager in question has a beat up greaser. Hopes, dreams, achievements, goals, and looks teenagers socially compare to others, negatively affecting their own mental health and state.

Social Media is one of the best ways to stay connected among other adolescents and creates a sense of need for themselves to dive in. It can help socially inept teenagers talk and socialize with others without the stressfulness of in-person interaction. Finding a common ground for social media use is a great way to still, find the positives in social media and fight the negatives of it as well.

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The Twitter feed shown (Figure 1) is from a friend of mine and is encouraging to put down your phone. Having going through self image problems due to social media and depression, she is a person from experience and wanted to spread the word for mental health and how social media effects it. She still is effected today even though it has been months since she started to get help.

"It had become so consuming to me. It’s what I woke up to and went to sleep to. I was an addict, and it felt like I was seeing things I didn’t want to see, like it was putting things in my head that I didn’t want to care about. I always end up feeling like s*** when I look at Instagram. " is what Selena Gomez stated about social media. Influencers with a vast following many of the times regret or hate having this social influence and spotlight because of the damage it can deal to themselves and others.  

Taking a break or limiting the time use of social media can affect the teenagers in big ways in a short amount of time. Breaking the comparison cycle of social media can happen instantly, no more comparing themselves to everyone else. Also, teenagers' FOMO, or "Fear Of Missing Out" can be conquered much easier. The biggest advantage is being able to live in the moment! No more needing to know what is going on in other lives except themselves.

Everybody uses social media and it affects many of us negatively. Why? Because it's addicting, and many depend on it! Without social media it is speculated that less connections and social interactions would happen since it would be harder to reach out but, also an improvement on mental health and all the stress that comes from social media. Doesn't that sound great? Social media is a big part of teenagers lives, but it shouldn't BE their life.