“The widespread use of social networking sites has been identified as a contributing factor to the growing mental health crisis, especially among younger generations,” an article from Stanford Law reports. “As we look to the future, it is clear that the issue of social networking and mental health will continue to be a pressing concern.”
I think it is important to keep in mind how long you spend on technology and the negative outcome from it. Mental health is a huge part of life and making sure that you can realize when you need to change some habits to improve it is important.
Mrs. Hoyer is the New Hartford Central School District social worker who supports students facing personal or social emotional challenges. I decided to ask her about her opinion on the impact of social media and mental health on teenagers.
How does social media impact mental health?
“I know not every student will want to hear this but yes, 1000%,” Mrs. Hoyer said. “Over the past ten years there has been a drastic increase in rates of anxiety, depression and suicidal ideation among teens, especially with girls.”
Mrs. Hoyer has noticed social media impacts the mental health of students drastically. She explained some of the ways in which social media has negative effects on teens.
“Social media overuse and exposure to unhealthy and addictive contents is believed to be a primary factor,” Mrs. Hoyer said. “Several studies have shown the strong relationship between social media and issues with body image and eating disorders due to the social comparison.”
I also spoke to some New Hartford students and also shared about how social media impacts teens’ mental health.
Lucas Jacobs-Mijolovic, a junior at New Hartford, explains that social media impacts mental health in a negative way because if we see something that we might not like it could be a bad influence on our mood.
Elizabeth Burnett, a senior at New Hartford, also stated, “Yes it impacts us negatively because things on the internet can be disheartening, and when people read things like that it can bring them down.”
Luna Pauley, another senior at New Hartford, added, “I would say social media impacts mental health negatively because it gives people, especially kids, too much access to see things they shouldn’t see at developmental ages and can discourage individuality because so many people want to follow trends instead of forming their own thoughts”
I agree with everyone’s points: social media brings people down in many ways and it does cause lots of comparison and larger issues. Rejecting the world and just rotting on the screen blocks the chance to learn new things.
Can Social Media benefit people mentally? If so, how?
“Certainly the case can be made that social media is entertaining and can open up opportunities for meeting new people, finding support, and making connections with other people from all over the world,” Mrs. Hoyer stated, “That’s exciting but it can also make teens vulnerable to unknown dangers and toxic misinformation. “
All of the students agreed that social media can increase motivation due to watching or being reminded of the good values in life, such as motivational quotes. The main group that social media can impact is high schoolers.
“I think social media can benefit people mentally in moderation because it can help motivate people in different ways,” Luna stated.
Do you think social media prevents you from the outside world and hobbies?
“It certainly can if an individual isn’t aware of its impact and hasn’t mastered the art of self discipline. It’s so easy to go “down the rabbit hole” and waste hours and hours of time, oftentimes sacrificing sleep and true human to human contact,” Ms. Hoyer stated, “I think it’s so important for all of us to practice a ‘digital detox’ and then spend authentic time with the people you care about, being in nature, engaging in physical activities and most importantly, allowing yourself some relaxing, much needed alone time.”
All of the students also agreed that it can prevent people from focusing on the outside world and activities. Social media created a decline.
Spending too much time on social media harms teens because what starts out as something fun can easily become an addiction.
” For all teens, excessive screen time and social media use can lead to addiction because they are intentionally designed to keep teens hooked by delivering a never-ending stream of dopamine hits.,” Mrs. Hoyer said. “That’s how these companies make money and teens are the perfect target audience because they know that the adolescent brain develops addictions: harder, faster and stronger.”
Taking time outside and away from social media will help bring your mood up and decrease feelings of loneliness and discomfort due to constant comparison, according to an Article from the Law Standford, called Social Media Addiction and Mental Health The Growing concern for youth well- being.
All teens will experience the time where you fall into a whole scrolling for hours and just abandoning your outside life. Making sure that you pay attention to your body language is also a key factor. Most people find joy when they are connecting to others and having real life conversations, instead of sitting in front of a screen.
