The Role of Social Media in Adolescent/Teen Depression and Anxiety

Terri Williams

April 3, 2018

https://www.digitalethics.org/essays/role-social-media-adolescentteen-depression-and-anxiety

"#antidepressantsjustoneclickaway"

First Impression:

Social media is a two-edged sword in the life of teens -- it can either improve their lives and make them better individuals or superstars or make them feel sorry for themselves and cause disastrous effects. It always make me think, thanks to the essay's title, if social media is helpful or not nowadays; still, the argument stands, especially in PTA meetings.

Quote: 

"God only knows what it’s doing to our children’s brains."

Reflection Proper:

Social media has brought up millions of questions that still can't be answered such as this one: does social media help teens become better or worse? Let's face though: teenage years has always an awkward, challenging, distasteful, insane, and problematic time in our lives. During those years, we always face such things like insecurity, peer pressure, hormones, acne, to name a few. In today's society, where social media has been a part in our daily lives, not to mention addictive at some point, a certain argument stands: what does social media do for teens when it comes to certain issues like depression and anxiety? The answer to this one, in my opinion is tricky, as it has two sides. The first side is the positive side: social media due to its numerous features and posts has such things like motivational posts and comments, creating relationships with thousands of people online and not to mention giving everyone the opportunity to stand out in a crowd and speak out, and possibly becoming famous. The other side is the negative side, and most likely the side discussed by the essay: due to the addictive nature of technology and social media plus the fear of missing out in everything around the world in society nowadays, and having open doors to such crimes like cyberbullying, online harassment, and "sexting" (sending nude photos), it has its side effects such as increased sleep deprivation, poor body image and increase in certain mental health diseases such as ADD, depression and anxiety disorders, thus resulting to such disastrous consequences like suicide or death due to poor body regulation. If one would see the bigger picture of this, the answer to this sort of thing is simple: it's not the tool that causes the problem for a person, it's the person itself using the tool. Think about it though -- for instance, one comment or one post about someone could change that certain someone's life, whether for better or worse, or the way one uses his gadgets affect the way he or she lives like if one is using it daily nonstop, he or she could eventually don't know the difference between real and virtual life. In the case of depression or anxiety, I would say this though: it's all about self-control when it comes to social media and its role in teen depression or anxiety, for it's all about the way you see it, like one post could motivate someone to become better in life and look at the bright side or could destroy a person's life and lead him or her to mental health issues whether it's depression or anxiety. Plus, if one knows how such things can cause an addiction, that certain someone could also figure out how to make it less addictive. So in conclusion, I agree with the article stating one of Albert Einstein's quotes: "We can’t solve our problems with the same thinking we used to create them", but I agree with the fact that the social media platforms can solve these sort of problems involving teen depression and such with the exact same thinking that is being used to creating these.

5 Things Learned From Article: 

1. I learned about technology and social media having major impacts in teen's lives.

2. I learned there are numerous studies and research reviews made that involved teens using technology and its numerous side effects in our lives, especially when it comes to their health.

3. I learned that people know already how addictive social media is, but still ask about if social media companies are the ones responsible for numerous issues among adolescents.

4. I learned the importance of self-control and proper regulation of using technology to avoid certain addictions. 

5. I learned that we can solve such problems sometimes if we remember the causes of their creation.

5 Integrative Questions:

1. Do you agree that social media should be held liable for causing certain issues with teens like depression and anxiety?

2. What's your opinion on social media and its effects on teenagers?

3. How long do you use your personal devices on a daily basis?

4. Do you ever stop to think about your habits involving using technology, as it may be starting to be addictive?

5. What's your suggestion or solution regarding social media and technology's effects on teenagers and society alike on the subject on mental health?