Negative Effects of Social Media on the Mental Health of Youth

Every day, media is consumed and interacted with by people across the world. This could be through watching a movie, playing a video game or creating a post on twitter. It could also be through something such as a political campaign, which could influence which party you decide to vote for. However, in this essay about negative effects of social media I will be looking specifically at how Social Media affects mental health. Also, I will analyse how advertising and everyday posts on these platforms can have a negative impact on mental health. I will be looking at the generation of Millennials and Generation Z as this is the generation, which uses social media the most.

Argumentative Statements About Social Media Negative Impact

Generation Z (born from 1996 to 2012) spend the most time online compared to previous generations. This could be due to the fact that being online is all they have known whereas the generation just before Gen Z, Millennials (born 1981 to 1996) are able to remember a time before smartphones were common. The impacts of this include Gen Z experiencing something called F.O.M.O this stands for Fear Of Missing out, when they are away from their phones and unable to check it, they may become anxious, as they are constantly worrying that they might be missing something. Not only does his lead to teenagers being constantly stressing about social media, it also negatively affects those who already struggle with mental illness such as those with anxiety and depression. Those who have anxiety might try to find ways to reduce it, by going online and then due to the effects of F.O.M.O and becoming addicted to social media, they become anxious over social media instead. In a study by the millennium cohort, it found that more girls spend time online than compared to boys. The study also found that the girls were more likely to show signs of depression, which can be linked to their usage of social media.

'Almost 40% of girls who spend more than five hours a day on social media show symptoms of depression'. Social media also has influenced how teenagers view their own body and is affecting how they view themselves. Which has mostly become negative - this is due to social medias platforms such as Instagram, which has posts of models who are photoshopped to look unnaturally skinny which makes girls who see these posts believe that they are overweight when the truth is they are at a healthy weight. Media such as television shows, movies and magazines also portray women with unrealistic body types, which only adds to young girl's fears that their bodies are 'wrong'.

One more negative effects of social media is the fact that many people face online harassment which can have a toll on mental health. 40% of online adults claimed to have experienced online harassment and 73% of online adults have claimed to witness online harassment. Most people aren’t taught to use media thoughtfully, many media messages contribute to public health issues such as obesity, bullying and aggression, low self-esteem, depression, negative body image, risky sexual behavior, and substance abuse, among other problems. Since social media is becoming more dominate in today’s society, it is essential that young adults are educated about the importance of media literacy. Media literacy is the ability to access, analyze, and evaluate complex messages presented through mass media. Most media is created in order to influence people in a particular way. Having the skills necessary to decipher what a message is trying to convey is pivotal in creating meaning from the message.

To conclude this list of negative effects of social media, this persuasive essay shows some main negaive sides of social media and how they affect mental health of youth. To solve these severe consequences modern young generation need to use social media properly. Teaching young adults how to decode media critically would decrease the chances of obtaining or worsening psychological disorders from the negative effects of social media.