English Research paper

Depression is a high outcome from social media.

In recent studies, social media has become a high outcome. In today's world, around 20% of teenagers are depressed. This can be due to loads of things in a teenager's life, such as cyberbullying(click)

• Cyberbullying is connected with Depression.

Cyber bullying is connected with depression. Cyber bullying is sending, posting, or sharing negative, harmful, false, or mean content about someone else. In a study by Betul Keles and others, it was experimented on and shown from data collected from six teenagers ages 13-18 that all 6 of them mention cyber bullying as an issue that they experience and how it caused them depression. Cyber bullying can lead to depression because it makes a teenager feel isolated from others, , and they feel like they are lying to themselves(click) . Other examples include stalking, harassment, and social exclusion. (click)

Depression & Cyberbullying can lead to self- harm or suicidal thoughts.

Depression & cyberbullying can lead to self-harm or suicidal thoughts. Due to this constant isolation or exposure to negative things, oftentimes teenagers are found to be suicidal or self-harming. This is a major cause and leads to depression with around 14% as of 2024. (click)

Social media has produced Insomnia issues

Social media has produced insomnia issues. Insomnia is defined as having trouble falling asleep, staying asleep, or getting good quality sleep. In the Betul Keles experiment, from the 6 people interviewed, 4 out of 6 teenagers said they have poor sleep quality. This could be due to social pressure, and overthinking that social media produces. (click)

Social media plays a key role, examples

Other examples are spending too much time on an iPhone before bed—this can increase the risk of depression due to the stress hormones it gives off called cortisol. (click) Another example is daytime tiredness—if a teenager cannot get enough sleep before bed, they cannot be productive throughout the day, which might make them feel worthless.(click)

Social Media also leads to addictive habits

Social media also leads to addictive habits. This is due to the constant pressure of having to check our notifications or your friends posting on social media. Even a vibration can cause the brain to want to check their phone to see what the notification was. The brain also releases dopamine when it does this.

• Could be due to dopamine in the brain (Williams) 

Dopamine, which is also known as a “reward center” in the brain. Let's say a teenager has had a bad day. The first thing they want to do is check social media to act as a reward for having such a’ hard day”.

Spending more time on social media than being social  is harmfu

This can be due to the negative effects it is showing in people in general, like addiction, loneliness, depression, and reduced self-esteem..

Spending more time on social media than being social  is harmfu

Spending more time on social media than being social is harmful. This can be due to the negative effects it is showing in people in general, like addiction, loneliness, depression, and reduced self-esteem.

Social Media can cause anxiety

Social media can cause anxiety. Social media makes teenagers feel like they are under constant pressure or always being judged. For the experiment, out of the 6 kids, every single one of them said they thought social media made them feel anxious. This can be due to multiple reasons.

Adolescents who have little face to face contact leads to emotional isolation.

Adolescents who have little face-to-face contact lead to emotional isolation. Emotional isolation is keeping their feelings completely to themselves, unable to receive emotional support or feeling numb.

Anxiety can cause panic attacks and anxiety attacks.

Anxiety can cause panic attacks and anxiety attacks. - Many teenagers go through this—around 15% for anxiety attacks as of 2024, and panic attacks are 10%.

Social Media has created FOMO

Social media has created FOMO. FOMO means fear of missing out and is one of the main types of anxiety found in teenagers today. In the experiment, about 3 out of the 6 teenagers felt they experienced this. Which caused them insomnia issues and panic attacks

Social Media influences Body Images Issues.

Social media influences body image issues—this is due to people posting their bodies online, and teenagers see this and can be insecure, causing depression and anxiety

• Celebrities and friends posting fake lives

Celebrities and friends posting fake lives—when people only post how their life is, it can make teenagers feel like they are not good enough

• Eating disorders becoming more common 

 around 5% of teens have an ED.

Promoting Body Issues

As of 2024, 68% of people on social media experience body image issues in a negative way. Which can lead to new standards.

False Realities tend to made about bodies on social media

when a teenager sees this, they think their body has to be that way- which can lead to eating disorders

Social comparisons

especially teenage girls will compare there bodies to others which is not healthy and can lead to eating disorders.