Evidence:
A 2022 study by the American Psychological Association (APA) found that teenagers who used Instagram for more than 3 hours a day reported 30% higher rates of body dissatisfaction.

Refutation:

Some argue that constantly comparing oneself to others’ posts fosters unfairness and dissatisfaction. While this may be true for passive users, it overlooks those who engage more actively. In fact, positive engagement, entertainment, and self-expression can boost well-being. Marciano et al. (2024) report no strong link between time on social media and suggest that active users may even experience positive effects. Therefore, blaming highlight reels ignores how user mindset and engagement style shape emotional outcomes.

Marciano, L., Lin, J., Sato, T., Saboor, S., & Viswanath, K. (2024). Does social media use make us happy? A meta-analysis on social media and positive well-being outcomes. SSM-Mental Health, 100331.

Evidence:
For example, online support groups on platforms like Reddit or Facebook have helped many people with anxiety feel heard and understood.

• Hook

• Background information

• Thesis statement (Claim)

Body Paragraphs

• Topic sentence (Reason)

• Introduce evidence

• Explain evidence

• Link to the thesis 

• Wrap up 

Refutation

• Counterargument

• Brief concession

• Rebuttal claim

• Rebuttal reason & evidence

• Analysis

Conclusion

• Restate claim or summarize main points

• Close with a forward-looking hook

Social media increases the risk of anxiety and depression due to constant social comparison.

Evidence:

A 2022 study published in JAMA Psychiatry found that adolescents who spent more than 3 hours per day on social media were significantly more likely to develop symptoms of anxiety and depression compared to peers who used it less frequently.

Reason: Social media’s design encourages addictive behaviors and distracts from real‑world tasks.

Evidence: According to leading medical journals, the platform’s instant feedback loops (likes, comments) trigger dopamine release, leading to compulsive checking that impairs productivity and disrupts sleep.

Social media can negatively impact mental health, especially due to the rise of anonymous interactions that encourage cruel behavior. Many users feel emboldened to post hurtful or judgmental comments when their identity is hidden, leading to increased cyberbullying, harassment, and toxic discourse.

Evidence:

A study by the Pew Research Center (2021) found that 41% of U.S. adults have personally experienced some form of online harassment, with 75% of these incidents occurring on social media platforms. Constant exposure to such hostile environments can lead to anxiety and depression, making social media a potentially harmful space for mental health.

Social media empowers social change by mobilizing communities. It allows individuals to share information, personal experiences, and resources widely and instantly, fostering solidarity and collective action.

Evidence:

For example, campaigns like #YouAreNotAlone, #MentalHealthAwareness and #MentalHealthAdvocate provide emotional support and also push for better mental health policies and access to care. According to Naslund et al. (2016), social media platforms provide a space for peer-to-peer interaction, which can reduce feelings of isolation and promote recovery among individuals facing mental health challenges. These online communities empower users to advocate for better mental health policies and services, while also offering emotional support and awareness on a global scale.

Using social media excessively makes us like more FOMO and it makes us more anxiety.

Evidence:

Luca Braghieri, Ro’ee Levy, and Alexey Makarin (2022) find that the rollout of Facebook at a college had a negative impact on student mental health. It also increased the likelihood with which students reported experiencing impairments to academic performance due to poor mental health. Additional evidence on mechanisms suggests the results are due to Facebook fostering unfavorable social comparisons

Active engagement on social media platforms, such as receiving positive feedback and interacting with peers, can enhance users' sense of social connectedness and self-esteem, thereby improving mental well-being.

Evidence:

A 2023 experimental study published on arXiv found that participants who received positive online feedback experienced increased feelings of social connectedness and reduced overall loneliness, highlighting the beneficial effects of active social media use on mental health.

• Formula: 'Although [opposing view], I believe [your claim] because [reason 1] and [reason 2].'

Evaluating Evidence Quality

• STAR Method

  S - Specificity

  T - Timeliness

  A - Authority

  R - Relevance

Advanced Rebuttal Strategies

• Present the opposing view fairly

• Acknowledge its limited validity

• Use strong evidence to show that your view is better

Social media negatively impacts mental health because it fosters constant self-comparison. Users are frequently exposed to curated images of success, beauty, or happiness, which do not reflect reality and can lead to feelings of inadequacy or exclusion.

Evidence:

A 2018 study by the University of Pennsylvania found that students who limited their use of social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, and Snapchat to 30 minutes per day experienced significant reductions in anxiety, depression, and loneliness.

Many experts have debated this. Some say that social media has a positive impact on mental health, some say that social media has a negative impact on mental health, and some say that social media has both positive and negative impacts on mental health. Although some say that social media has a positive impact on mental health and some say that social media has both positive and negative impacts, I think that social media is more likely to have a negative impact on mental health.