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Written Assign Unit 7 Psych

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Written Assign Unit 7 Psych

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munyendoadam9
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© © All Rights Reserved
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Bachelor of Computer Science

University of the People

CS 1504 Introduction to Psychology

Dr. Ferah Smith

August 5, 2024
The Psychological Impact of Social Media on Adolescent Mental
Health
Introduction

So far, Facebook’s mental health concern-have become a widespread topic that has been

increasing significantly. A recent article on ScienceDaily titled "Social Media Use Linked to

Depression in Teens" deals with a study that explores the dependency of the use of social media

on mental health outcomes among the adolescents. This paper determines the study, its

participants, acquisitions like the correlation of mental health outcomes and implications for

society while intertwining this information with the crucial concepts in psychology.

Study Description

Participants

The study used a huge sample consisting of teenagers in the age group of 13-18 years. The

scientists included more than 3,000 objects that answered the question on their social media

habits, mental health status, and overall well-being. Some of the participants were from different

families, to make sure that the survey was not only done in one group of people, but that all the

different battles of adolescent mental health were inspected.

Methodology

The scholars adopted a prospective approach and collected data from the participants in a phased

manner for a period of three years. The methodology they utilized allowed the scholars to

understand the changes and patterns over time but only then did the full extent of the drawdown

on the health of the adolescents really become clear. The participants submitted questionnaires
through which they could report on their time spent on, as well as the nature of their interactions

on, the various platforms. They also had to use validated psychometric instruments to calculate

self-reported depression, anxiety, and general mental health data.

Findings

Results of the research recommend a high relationship between frequent social media use and the

rise of depressive and anxiety symptoms among children. To be precise, all these students were

more capable of showing symptoms such as sadness, hopelessness, and social isolation. The

research survey of students aged 10-17 was done by researchers and they noticed that

cyberbullying and the unruly behavior of some teenagers on social media were related to the fact

that children have decreased mental health.

Discussion

Study Implications

The study's findings reveal the biggest dangers of excessive social media use among adolescents.

According to reports, the corresponding use of social media, such as cyberbullying, may worsen

experiences of depression and anxiety. The fact that this takes place has major implications for

parents, educators, and policymakers who are worried about the values, emotions, and thoughts

of young people.

Personal Reflection

Personally, I found the study to be quite eye-opening but at the same time, I was a bit concerned.

Social media use as a pervasive phenomenon is something I have observed, and this view
accords with how I understand its potential impact on mental health. The study shows that

staying aware of social media use is especially important especially the redemption of a positive

online situation to reduce the liabilities.

Limitations

The research embodies a fruitful attempt at enlightenment, but it is still exposed to some

limitations. First, the magnitudes in the research data that were found, were made non-causal by

the correlational way of research through the investigation. That is, the study provided limited

evidence to whether social media use has a direct impact on depression or whether of the social

media use, there is an increase in mental health issues among adolescents. Not only does the

study have a bias in regard to the reporting from the individuals on the effects of social media

and mental health symptoms, but the data indicating the self-reported use of social media and

mental health symptoms may have a bias that is affecting the results, such as underreporting and

embellishing data.

Conclusion

Connection to Course Concepts

The study is endowed with the power to bring up ideas of psychology with the self-concept and

cognitive-behavioral theory acting as the cornerstones. The findings of the study are reinforcing

to the psychology concepts such as social comparison and cognitive-behavioral theory. The

theory of social comparison holds that individuals derive their self-esteem from the comparisons

they make with others. Youngsters who regularly make comparisons with others on social media

may be suffering from low self-esteem and the feeling of inadequacy more of the time.

Furthermore, the cognitive-behavioral theory sheds light on the fact that thinking patterns play a
formidable role in the ways our emotions and actions are controlled. Consequently, any face-to-

face situation on efficiency and cyberbullying through the social media could bring about

depressive symptoms.

Final Thoughts

Conclusively, the exploration about the impact of social media on the mental health of teenagers

suggests the relevance of the possible risks of excessive use. A better explanation of these

mechanisms and inspiring good social media habits will be able to prevent the negative impacts

on the mental health of youngsters. The piece of research is nothing but a testimonial of the

psychological research as a useful tool for informing public health interventions and

policymaking to uplift adolescents' mental conditions.

References

ScienceDaily. (n.d.). Social Media Use Linked to Depression in Teens. Retrieved from

http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/mind_brain/psychology/

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