Social Media and Teenage Depression
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Social Media and Teenage Depression
Compared to earlier generations, the dynamics of teenage life have changed due to the increasing need for online social presence. This connection, which is emotionally dissatisfying, is mainly superficial and more harming than many people estimate. It usually gives a positive experience at first, but the impacts change with increased exposure. As teenagers spend more time on social media, they are more likely to suffer from anxiety and depression due to exposure to idealized lives different from their own, decreased social skills that cause isolation, and increased vulnerability to cyberbullying.
Spending more time on social media gives young people a false image of other people’s lives, increasing vulnerability to depression. A cohort study featuring 3826 adolescents concluded that the increased use of social media enhances symptoms of depression as young people connect with others (Boers et al., 2019). Teens become depressed and anxious about their situations due to the biased perspective of life they get from imaginary and real friends online. The pressure to “fit with the crowds” is inevitable, stemming from the lost sense of belongingness when a person cannot match the lives of others (Mosley & Mcmahon, 2020)—for instance, seeing others visiting places that one cannot afford causes depression over time. As long as teens are getting deceptive images of others through increased social media use, depression will keep growing.
Social media use decreases teens’ social skills, causing isolation. According to Nalin (2017), there is a wrong perception of the scope of peer interaction since many people comprehend it as staying in touch, regardless of the means. However, healthy living necessitates real interaction, which social media denies teenagers. Considering that communication is more than the words that people use, online living makes many teenagers fail to develop the critical social skills required for a healthy life. Consequently, they become isolated, and depression becomes a part of their life. Indeed, Boers et al. (2019) argued that the only way of ensuring that young people are free from depression is to make them more social physically. In this case, social media should be minimal, but unfortunately, it is the opposite. Due to the resultant isolation, social media use continues to increase depression among teenagers.
Social media use increases teenagers’ vulnerability to cyberbullying, increasing depression in turn. Half of the teenage population is at risk considering that approximately 50% of teens in the United States spend more than the average time online (Mosley & Mcmahon, 2020). As the usage increase, cyberbullying becomes inevitable as their colleagues tell them about their looks and life situations, among other personal aspects of life. As Nalin (2017) further observed, cyberbullying increases as teenagers spread false information about their colleagues. With reputation likely to be damaged, many teenagers have no option apart from social fallout. Mostly, the result causes depression and can make some teens suicidal if they lack timely support. Due to the impact of cyberbullying, depression will always increase with a proportionate increase in social media use.
Teenagers who spend more time on social media are more likely to suffer from depression and anxiety. The leading cause of the high vulnerability to depression is exposure to falsely idealized lives about others, which gives them a wrong impression of their lives. Also, more social media use decreases teens’ social skills leading to isolation. With social media hindering real interaction, many teenagers are unable to cope and get depression. Cyberbullying also increases depression. Since many teenagers live online, chances of depression and anxiety will be high as long as they manage to regulate their use of social media.
References
Boers, E., Afzali, M. H., Newton, N., & Conrod, P. (2019). Association of screen time and depression in adolescence. JAMA pediatrics, 173(9), 853-859. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2019.1759
Mosley, T., & Mcmahon, S. (2020, January 09). Social Media Use Linked To Anxiety, Depression Among Teens, New Study Finds. WBUR. https://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2020/01/09/social-media-anxiety-depression-teens
Nalin, J. (2017, July 5). Social Media and Teen Depression: The Two Go Hand-In-Hand. Anxiety and Depression Association of America. https://adaa.org/learn-from-us/from-the-experts/blog-posts/consumer/social-media-and-teen-depression-two-go-hand