Social Media Use and its Impact on Adolescent Health

Social Media use and its impact on Adolescent Health
Belinda Davis Rasmussen University
ENC 1101 English Composition Professor Debra Bohlman June 7, 2021
Our world has entered a new age, wherein identity is closely related to one’s social media accounts and much of the information and trends are found online. Social media has given an opportunity to connect people in the global scale. Just as much as it is beneficial, social media also has its detriments, especially on the adolescents of the population. It has become an avenue for people to share information, subscribe to news, follow notable people and create a space for sharing creations and passions. However, vulnerable populations, such as young teens, can become depressed or have feelings of isolation because of social media. Around the world, various cultures have integrated the internet, which contribute to the difference of social stigma and expectations. Just like any tool, social media can be use both for beneficial efforts, and damaging consequences. (Orben, Dienlin & Przybylski, 2019). Internet and social media use have contributed to a wider array of opportunities to connect and create relationships, but modern day situations and cultures are causing detriments to young people’s mental and emotional wellbeing.
Prolonged use of social media sites can cause mental crisis to other people who are subscribed to celebrities and popular people. This is because it creates a social expectation to be just like their idols and have the same quality of life as them. This creates feelings of disappointment and makes the person confused about finding contentment in their own life. A certain study by the Scottish government has warned about the potential mental hazards of the social media subscriptions among the teenage population (Morris, 2019). Among girls, body image has created a social concern, as popular media usually portray unrealistic standards of beauty which enhances insecurity among adolescents. Social media addiction can also cause erratic sleep schedules, as it usually consumes the time for resting. Instead of sleeping, more time is used in scrolling and navigating various social media pages that has little effect on the personal life of the viewer. The Scottish government has noted various evidence that point to the detriment of social
media among the mental wellbeing of adolescents, particularly girls, who have a poorer level of mental and emotional wellbeing than boys of a similar age (Plaisime et al., 2020). Even so, there are plenty of evidences that point out to a general problem when it comes to social media use and health.
The greatest factor in health as related to social media use, is in the disrupted sleep cycle. Sleep is a very important aspect of health as it is the time wherein the tissues and organs of the body are recalibrated and rested in order to perform the activities that it has to do in order to create equilibrium in the body. Social media disrupts the balance of the body, by taking the time for rest, and substituting it with binge scrolling that has little to no benefit to personal life. Aside from this, social media creates unrealistic expectations of life and body image. Teens scrolling social media might feel envy ...