Genius Hour by Kate Albright (Student)

Introduction

1856195 — 2024-12-17 16:40:08 UTC

My name is Kate and the things that I am interested in are music, friends, fashion, and mental health. Since I have personal experience with mental health, I have found a new passion in wanting to help other adolescents in need. I plan to major in psychology and ultimately become a clinical psychologist one day. The general idea of the topic that I want to research and learn more about adolescents and how mental health affects them.

Topic question

1856195 — 2025-01-10 17:10:45 UTC

How does social media affect teen's loneliness?

Source #1

1856195 — 2025-02-05 21:10:54 UTC

This article is about americans and the epidemic of loneliness in the past few years. "One in two adults report loneliness." There is also a section where it talks about TEENAGERS. The teenagers that were recruited from instagram influencers answered a questionaire three times a day about their social interactions. Each time, more than 50 percent said they haven't talked to someone in the past hour, online or in person.

"The rise of smartphones and social networking apps has forever changed social norms around how we communicate." I never thought about how our social norms have changed due to smartphones to the point that there is a whole different set of norms for online interactions.

"It's hard to know who's being real online, and it's hard for people to be themselves online, and that is a recipe for loneliness,"

Even though there is little proof that tech directly made people lonely, but there is definitely a strong correlation between the two. The correlation was rooted in three main behaviors; comparing themselves, text messaging, and streaming videos.

Many studies show that one on one digital communication is actually associated with positive mental health attributes and decreased feelings of loneliness.

Source #2

1856195 — 2025-02-05 21:12:10 UTC

This is a call with teenagers who have social media and with reporters that are talking about how regulations should be applied to social media.

VOX POP: Different generations have had such different upbringings, so we really need those different voices to find a solution that works for all, & not just like the grown-ups.
JEAN TWENGE: Overall, there just needs to be more regulation because right now there's virtually no regulation of social media.

Source #3

1856195 — 2025-02-05 21:12:59 UTC

The purpose of this experiment was to gather middle schoolers' perceptions on the use of social media and thier opinion towards cyber security.
This source is a little older than the others therefore the data may be not up to date and accurate.
Interestingly, this study found that teenagers who scored higher on social anxiety and loneliness measures were
more likely to communicate via instant messaging with acquaintances. Even teenagers who felt well supported
and connected to their peers at school sought out additional opportunities to interact with people they did not
know well but very few close friendships were actually developed online (Gross, Juvonen & Gable, 2002).

Source #4

1856195 — 2025-02-05 21:13:30 UTC

This source is another experiment like the last one hoeever it is by Korean psychologists and korean students. In the abstract it explains the aim of the study was aimed to examine the complex relationship within teenagers on SNS (social networking services) useage, lonliness, negative upward comparison.

The results of the study provided support for the first hypothesis, demonstrating a substantial and direct influence of social media usage on feelings of loneliness.

negaive upward comparison sounds like ""When I see posts on social media from other people who are better than me, I feel discouraged," "I do not feel good when I see posts of other people who are smarter than me,"

"The sequential mediation model proposed in this study suggests that SNS usage not only directly influences loneliness but also operates indirectly through negative
upward comparison and relative deprivation." This quote is very important because it shows that social media doesn't only affect us when we look at social media, but also when we aren't looking.

Source #5

1856195 — 2025-02-05 21:13:53 UTC

Source #6

1856195 — 2025-04-03 22:18:31 UTC

Infograph that shows that the percentage of teens in that year that experienced feelings of persistant feelings of sadness or hopelessness has gone up significantly. From 28% to 42%. Other data such as the percentage of teens that year that seriously considered committing suicide had gone up from 16% to 22%.

"Many observers noted that young people had recently suffered much disruption and social isolation as a result of school closures and social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic, a deadly outbreak that began in early 2020. Others, however, pointed out that the number of young Americans reporting anxiety, depression, and suicidality (thinking about committing suicide) had been rising since well before the pandemic." This quote shows that it is not JUST because of the pandamic.

"Social media has turned what used to be a relatively low-stakes and private process of self-realization into a public performance, some argue, leaving users vulnerable to the whims, cruelty, and exaggerated outrage of others and fueling constant anxiety among social media users about whether one is packaging oneself successfully online. This apprehension can be especially intense for young girls on visual-orientated platforms like Instagram and TikTok, which often emphasize beauty, fashion, fitness, and lifestyle."

Source #7

1856195 — 2025-04-03 22:20:00 UTC

This site is great for perspective of the other side. It is true, many homebound teens suffer from loneliness and the internet serves as their socialization.

"the Internet has helped many homebound, chroni-
cally ill people overcome social isolation."

Source #8

1856195 — 2025-04-03 22:20:50 UTC

" These devices may reduce "real-life" contact with other people. The Pew Research Center reported in 2018 that more than 50% of teenaged girls and about 30% of teenaged boys said that they sometimes used their smartphones to avoid face-to-face interaction with people they were with." People KNOW that it can cause loneliness and is used as a way to almost escape and BE lonely.

"They might use the phone hundreds of times per day to browse online and to check messages and social media sites. Some of these users might be clinically addicted to smartphones. These users have such a psychological dependency on the phones that if they cannot use them multiple times per hour, they could experience depression, loneliness, anxiety, nervousness, disorientation, and confusion." important information on how many people are probably more addicted to their phones than they think they are which causes anxiety and loneliness when taken away or not used.

Source #9

1856195 — 2025-04-03 22:21:38 UTC

Source is about popular teen subculture that is prominantly on the internet. It explains how many children who commit suicide are the same or similar subculture. As this subculture mostly comes from the internet, it can have an affect on teens loneliness.

"For emo teenagers, social networks may fulfil the need of feeling
part of a group, being able to communicate with similar people and express a similar
identity. For many teenagers the online emo community may seem far more inviting
than the judgmental world that they are used to."

Source #10

1856195 — 2025-04-03 22:23:07 UTC

"One study of
detailed daily reports of home Internet use
found that adolescents used instant messaging
and e-mail for much of their online interac
tions; they communicated mostly with friends
from offline lives about everyday issues such
as friends and gossip."

It shows that when teens go home now, they aren't separated from the drama. The drama is surrounded by them and leaves them with almost no escape.

Source #11

1856195 — 2025-06-03 12:47:35 UTC

Diagram that shows the three vital components of social connection.

Source #13

1856195 — 2025-06-03 12:57:15 UTC

Used statistics from here. Found that older individuals who used facebook in a positive headspace made them happier. Only using social media while being in a positive headspace may be apart of my call to action.

Source #14

1856195 — 2025-06-03 13:11:30 UTC

more statistics

Source #15

1856195 — 2025-06-03 13:13:54 UTC

"Through social media, adolescents have the opportunity to see what others are doing and this may create a sense of missing out, which leads to a rise in anxiety (Beyens et al., 2016). This may result in compulsive social media use, which ironically, can heighten feelings of loneliness (Przybylski et al., 2013)."

Source #16

1856195 — 2025-06-04 15:25:48 UTC

"Gen Z is the loneliest generation because they've inherited a world that's fundamentally broken," HR consultant and generation expert Bryan Driscoll told Newsweek.

"Decades of prioritizing profits over people have left them with unaffordable housing, job insecurity and a constant barrage of social media-driven comparisons. Add to that the lack of real community and it's no wonder they're lonely."