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How does social media affect mental health research?
However, multiple studies have found a strong link between heavy social media and an increased risk for depression, anxiety, loneliness, self-harm, and even suicidal thoughts. Social media may promote negative experiences such as: Inadequacy about your life or appearance. Research studies note the connection between use of social media and its undesirable outcomes that increase incidence of anxiety, stress, depression, body image concerns, and loneliness in teens and young adults (APA, 2022). Mostly among the teenagers social media addiction has become a serious problem. This causes low self-esteem and eating disorders by comparing to other people. The affects that are caused by social media are cyber bullying, decrease in productivity, fatigue and stress, and other mental health related issues. Instagram was found to have the most negative overall effect on young people’s mental health. The popular photo sharing app negatively impacts body image and sleep, increases bullying and “FOMO” (fear of missing out), and leads to greater feelings of anxiety, depression, and loneliness. Social media affects behavior negatively by depriving kids of important social cues they would usually learn through in-person communication. This can cause them to be more callous, anxious, and insecure. Social media affects social skills by replacing some of kids’ direct contact with their peers. The distraction can lead to procrastination, less retention of information, and higher levels of stress. You may also experience feelings of exclusion, loneliness or anxiety when you see posts of others enjoying a good time.
How is social media linked to mental health?
Using it activates the brain’s reward center by releasing dopamine, a “feel-good chemical” linked to pleasurable activities such as sex, food, and social interaction. The platforms are designed to be addictive and are associated with anxiety, depression, and even physical ailments. “Social media platforms drive surges of dopamine to the brain to keep consumers coming back over and over again. The shares, likes and comments on these platforms trigger the brain’s reward center, resulting in a high similar to the one people feel when gambling or using drugs.” Changes in Reward Pathways This constant barrage of shallow rewards rewires your brain to want more of what caused that dopamine release, which leads to social media addiction. Studies show that the brain scans of heavy social media users look very similar to those addicted to drugs or gambling. “We know that social media activity is closely tied to the ventral striatum,” said Mitch Prinstein, APA’s chief science officer. “This region gets a dopamine and oxytocin rush whenever we experience social rewards.”
What percentage of mental health issues are caused by social media?
For example, 64% of users who spend four hours or more per day on social media experience depression, compared to 44% of users who are on the platforms three hours or less per day. Spending more than 3 hours on social media per day puts adolescents at a higher risk for mental health problems. 13% of kids ages 12-17 report depression and 32% report anxiety. 25% of 18 to 25-year-olds report mental illness. These age groups report high usage of social media. Most broadly, the researchers found a sizable increase in the number of students who reported mental distress at some time in the preceding year. College-wide access to Facebook led to an increase in severe depression by 7% and anxiety disorder by 20%. Social media harms Another 2019 study of more than 12,000 13- to 16-year-olds in England found that using social media more than three times a day predicted poor mental health and well-being in teens. Other studies also have observed links between high levels of social media use and depression or anxiety symptoms. Research studies note the connection between use of social media and its undesirable outcomes that increase incidence of anxiety, stress, depression, body image concerns, and loneliness in teens and young adults (APA, 2022).
What impact does media have on mental health?
They also model negative reactions to the mentally ill, including fear, rejection, derision and ridicule. The consequences of negative media images for people who have a mental illness are profound. They impair self-esteem, help-seeking behaviours, medication adherence and overall recovery. Distorted and demeaning images of mental illnesses when presented to the public shapes their attitudes and, in turn, influences their behaviour. When those images are unfavourable and inaccurate, as they often are, they contribute to the stigma and discrimination that represent barriers to treatment and recovery. The negative effects of social media and mental health include potentially becoming self-absorbed, feeling overly dependent on acceptance from people you might not even know, and increasing your sense of loneliness, depression, anxiety, stress, and other mental health conditions. Mental illnesses, also known as psychiatric disorders, are often inaccurately portrayed in the media. Films, television programs, books, magazines, and news programs often stereotype the mentally ill as being violent or unpredictable, unlike the great majority of the actual mentally ill. Undoubtedly social media can negatively affect a person’s self-perception and mental health. This is caused by comparing ourselves to unrealistic images on social media of what we believe we should look like. This can then lead to dissatisfaction with our appearance and self-perception. Instagram was found to have the most negative overall effect on young people’s mental health. The popular photo sharing app negatively impacts body image and sleep, increases bullying and “FOMO” (fear of missing out), and leads to greater feelings of anxiety, depression, and loneliness.