It’s no secret on how popular social media has become within the past few decades. As many of you may know, social media has been skyrocketing since the early 2000’s, starting with MySpace to the now popular TikTok and Instagram. It connects us to the modern world that we live in. We’re all familiar with it and how it works. I’m sure that most if not all of us, have a smartphone with some kind of social networking website or app that we use regularly. But how could we not? It’s been around for the last 20 plus years. We now see younger generations with a device in their hands, accessible everywhere they go. It is true, social media has changed the world. Many may not realize that it has and still is greatly impacting people and their mental health. But the question is how much? Is it in a good way or bad way? There are many different opinions and views people have regarding these networking sites. It can be a controversial topic regarding the effects that it has on young adults and mental health.  

Some people may notice changes in their mental health, but many of us have absolutely no idea how it can affect our lives. As time goes by and we see social media growing immensely, there is still a debate on its effects on mental health. There are numerous studies that have and are still being done to this day, that back up some negative and positive aspects. There is a common belief that the use of social media can negatively impact children and young adult’s mental health, such as their self-esteem or even the development of depression. However, there are people that counteract that idea and believe that social media in fact does the opposite and can help with their mental well-being, by allowing people to connect to others and build communities.

Good self-esteem is knowing and having the confidence of one’s worth. To respect ourselves inside and out. It sounds amazing, but it can be hard to practice what you preach. We all know the importance of having a good self-esteem but there are times where confidence can be shaky, both as a child or as an adult. We see these images on magazines, T.V, movies, and most of all, on social media these days. This leads us to comparing our own selves to them. It makes people feel like that is the standard of what is accepted and shamed for by the media. But is it possible that social media can be making it worse? These days on social media, people post their best. The most eventful times, not showing any flaws and concealing struggles behind their phone. Instead of normalizing bad days and tough moments in life, there is a trend of this “perfect life”. This can lead to questionable thoughts for children and adolescents. From the Netflix documentary, The Social Dilemma, Jonathan Haidt, Ph.D. from the NYU Stern School of Business shared about self-harm rising amongst teen girls. He states, “Girls between the ages of 15–19 saw an increase of 70% in suicide, and girls between the ages of 10–14 saw a 151% increase.”  This is most likely heavily influenced by social media. Wondering why they don’t look or act like that, they do everything they can to become this standard that is portrayed on instagram or other platforms. Bailey Parnell, a social media expert, performed a speech, Is Social Media Hurting Your Mental Health? on TedTalk. She discusses the unintended consequences that social media is having on mental health. She states, “A monologue that so many of us have everyday, but we don't think about it, or talk about it. In fact, many of us can’t even recognize it happening”. These monologues she was talking about, referenced the questions and comments we have in our heads about ourselves when it comes to social media comparing us to people on these platforms. That comparison between themselves and to those who get thousands and thousands of likes can lead to frustration and low self-esteem. Confidence can go down, ruining their own image of themselves and even lead to depression in many young adults.

Another big concern that people have is how much people are dependent on these apps and how that can affect our sleep. We’ve all been there, your plan to take a few minutes on social media quickly turns into an hour without even you noticing it. But why? Why do we feel the need to be on social media for so long? And why is it so hard for us to put that phone down?  For those who don’t know what “fomo” is, it stands for the “fear of missing out”. It is the feeling of being left out or missing out on what others are doing. It is fearing the feeling that people are out having fun and enjoying this “perfect” life and you are not included in a part of that. Nowadays, it’s hard to find someone that doesn’t use social media, coming from all ages. J. Clement, a research expert covering internet and e-commerce, shares the shocking facts of social media usage in the U.S. and states, “Nearly 79% of Americans have some sort of profile on social media.” That is a lot of people coming from all different ages that use social media. To constantly check your phone to see what your peers are up to, comes from a sense of wanting to feel belonged and included. That fear can trigger anxiety and loneliness from missing out of these events. Dr. Suzana Flores, the author of Facehooked states, “when someone interacts over social media for prolonged periods of time, they feel compelled to continue to check for updates”. This can become a need and a routine to repeatedly checking these apps and social networking sites. It is a bottomless pit. That ten minute social media break can quickly lead to an hour and a half browsing, checking everyone’s posts and stories. We consume so much time out of our day on social media. We are all aware of how important sleep is for us and our mental health. But this constant checking and refreshing can take that time out of our sleep when we need that time for our brains to repair themselves. Without proper sleep, there is a huge increase of the possibility of distress impacting our mental well-being possibly leading towards depression.

Now, there are people that are on the other side and completely disagree with these claims. In fact, they believe that social media can be helping young adults and their mental well being, including building strong communities with others to help us as individuals. Social media can provide a feeling of security when surrounded by a group of people that can help and support you. Because these social platforms are available all around the world, there is a community that you can find to fit in and connect with. Whether it is a support group for the LGBTQ+ community, groups with the same interests, same backgrounds, people that can relate with medical conditions, or even just to find friends to connect with there is a community for everyone. This is a way to find resources and people that you can lean on. Whether it is to obtain support, help, or advice there is always someone there on these networking sites that will be there for you. Those friends that you’ve made can support you in whatever it is that you are doing. Whether it is on your career, a business, or even your own overall self-esteem. They can encourage people and boost and elevate other people’s thoughts of themselves. Likes and comments under posts and stories can increase self confidence as you build more relationships with people. It makes you feel a sense of belonging and care from some  people that they’ve never even met! 

 Those suffering from depression or anxiety can find a community of people from around the world that can help ease those symptoms and help with your overall mental health. Social support can help those who are shy or may not feel comfortable going to support groups in person. It may take a lot for a person to seek for help themselves, or some may believe that it is a waste of time and money. But because we have the opportunity to have the resources available instantly, people are often there with open arms to support whatever it is that you need. That feeling of isolation is never a good feeling and to be able to reach out to a community that you can relate to and will support you can really help with views on themselves, boosting their own self-esteem. According to the Pew study, 31% of teens say that social media use has a "mostly positive" impact on their lives, while only 24% say "mostly negative." The other 45% said that social media's effect was neither positive nor negative. Although there isn’t a drastic difference, those who say that social media generally positively impacts them, are up by 7%. 

It’s not uncommon to have some nights where you found yourself having trouble falling asleep. As a teenager or young adult, you can be overwhelmed by school, stress from work, etc. 

According to a 2019 study done in ISU, “More than 5 million americans have trouble sleeping at night”. There are hundreds of apps that people swear by that help them fall asleep. There are apps that can help you with specific needs. For example, there are  apps that block noise, calm you down, for bad sleeping habits, and even to track your sleep! We all know how important doctors and parents stress the importance of sleep. 7-8 hours of sleep for an adult is good, but more hours are better for students. As I mentioned before, sleep is extremely important for your body, health, and overall mental well-being. A well rested person who has enough sleep helps with stress and their mental health.

I understand, of course, that there is a lot of evidence supporting social media and the effects on mental health and those who counteract with that idea and say there are negative mental effects on social networking. Even to this day more research is being done on the effects of social media and mental health. This may always be a controversial topic. Everyone’s experience is and can be different. There are many personal insights of one's personal experience regarding social media and their mental well-being. Some are positive and some are negative. There are even some that are mixed and get both good and bad effects from it. Social media is still growing at a rapid pace. Using social media has its pros and cons to it. Being aware of these possible outcomes is important regarding your mental health and life.