Andrew Tamplin Tamplin

1
Prof. Trotter
English Comp II
3/23/2019

Disconnected

Life was simpler without social media, so why have we made it more

complicated? Social networks such as Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook, and Twitter are

all ways people around the world to connect and share views. However, it’s not that

simple. Social media is a leading cause for depression, anxiety, and eating disorders for

various teens. Many portray fake images of themselves online in an attempt to receive

likes and attention. A form of bullying called Cyberbullying developed with the rise of

these sites. With all these issues it’s clear that social media is doing more harm than

good.

Social media has a large impact on the mental health of younger users. It causes

them to become insecure about their appearance, weight, habits,...etc. It attracts

unwanted opinions and bullying. One study out of the University of Pittsburgh found a

connection between time spent on social media apps and negative body image

feedback. Those who had spent more time on social media had 2.2 times the risk of

eating and body image concerns compared to their peers who spent less time on social

media. Those who spent the most time on social media had 2.6 times the risk (2016).

People tend to care too much about what people think of them. This has a very negative

contribution to their lives and usually leads to sadness and neglect. Another study

conducted by The Journal of Applied Social Psychology shows the depressing truth on

this concept. The study examined individual differences and social factors in moderating
Andrew Tamplin Tamplin
1
Prof. Trotter
English Comp II
3/23/2019

the effects of media images on women's body satisfaction. They said that their results

“underscored the importance of individual differences” (2006). When exposed to ideal

images, thinner women more positively evaluated their sexual attractiveness, while

heavier women reported more negative self‐ evaluations. Unfortunately, due to social

networks, individuals have lost their sense of self-value. It’s almost impossible to use

these sites without comparing yourself to others. Schools should begin to monitor the

things students do on the internet while at school. For example, specific keywords

should trigger a notification to specific staff members so that they can keep a close eye

on situations. This would not only help prevent suicides and other harmful actions, but it

could give students the help they need if they are showing signs of depression.

Focusing on likes and the impact of social media has on our mental health; go

hand and hand. If people do not get many likes on their post, they assume people don’t

care about them or dislike them which causes self-esteem to be lowered. This constant

backlash on pictures and profiles drains happiness and eventually leads to mental

health issues. Social media is one of the main reasons mental health issues have been

on the rise. For example, research by the National Alliance of Mental Illness or NAMI

shows that approximately 1 in 5 youth aged 13–18 experiences a severe mental

disorder at some point during their life. For children aged 8–15, the estimate is 13%

(2015). I strongly believe that this is because of problems revolving around social media

networks; cyberbullying being a large one. Life shouldn’t revolve around how many likes
Andrew Tamplin Tamplin
1
Prof. Trotter
English Comp II
3/23/2019

your pictures get. Unfortunately, for some teens, this is the only thing that matters to

them. Gaining popularity and attention on social media platforms is the only way to

boost their self-esteem. A recent study at UCLA Brain Mapping Center shows that teens

ages 13-18 receiving a high number of likes on photos showed increased activity in the

reward center of the brain (2016). This is a very unhealthy lifestyle to have your

happiness in life balanced on your online popularity which can lead to various mental

illnesses, such as depression. Some teens even went to the extent of buying followers

for their profiles so that they looked more popular. The constant obsession for likes

makes teens desperate and willing to accept risky social media challenges; such as

explicit photos of themselves. This type of behavior is hard for parents to monitor. In a

way, social media networks support these kinds of acts. I constantly see profiles of

teens wearing limited amounts of clothing because that’s what attracts likes on sites

such as Instagram. These accounts usually have hundreds of thousands of followers.

All this popularity around these accounts is good for their business because they get

more users. Removal of the “liking” concept from these social media networks would be

a viable solution to these problems but unfortunately; that is very unlikely to happen.

The battle to stop cyberbullying has been ongoing for several years now. People

seem to have more confidence online than in face-to-face encounters. This comfort

leads to more people getting involved in this act of bullying. Social media is a gateway

for bullies, therefore, they think they can say whatever they want online without having
Andrew Tamplin Tamplin
1
Prof. Trotter
English Comp II
3/23/2019

consequences. A new Pew Research Center survey finds that 59% of U.S. teens have

personally experienced at least one of six types of abuse online behaviors (2018).

Which comes to show that it is not uncommon for average teens to have some

experience with cyberbullying. The Swansea University Institute of Life Science

reviewed the evidence for connections between cyberbullying and self-harm or suicidal

behaviors. They have discovered that those who have experienced cyber victimization

were 2.35 times as likely to self-harm, 2.10 times as likely to show suicidal behaviors,

2.57 times more likely to attempt suicide, and 2.15 times more likely to have suicidal

thoughts (2018). With 59% of U.S. teens encountering cyberbullying, and each of those

people being 2 or more times as likely to self-harm or to be suicidal, it reveals the

devastating truth about cyberbullying. Cyberbullying is far more dangerous than

traditional bullying. The attacker could be thousands of miles away, making it near

impossible to find them. Social media networks try their best to prevent online

harassment and bullying, but truthfully, there is no way to completely abolish it. With

that said, there are still things that could be done to help reduce this issue. Schools

should ban social media applications on their internet in attempt to eliminate

cyberbullying during school hours.

Now that isn’t going to stop all cyberbullying, because we don’t have control over what

kids do outside of school, but at least it’s a start.

Andrew Tamplin Tamplin
1
Prof. Trotter
English Comp II
3/23/2019

Social media does have its positives, however, the negatives continue to

outweigh them. For example, social media allows friendships to extend across the

world. You can keep in touch with distanced family members and friends with the click

of a button. All is possible but not limited to social media networks. There are multiple

alternatives to all of these benefits, though. Such as, communication via letter or phone

call. These both accomplish the same goal without adding unnecessary complications

that social media brings along with it. However, getting rid of social media entirely is not

a realistic solution to all these problems. It is obvious that society would not be where it

is today without the presence of social media. Unfortunately, it has gotten to the extent

where action needs to be taken in order for a change to occur. Limiting the amount of

time we spend on social media and transfering that over to phone calls and letters

leaves everyone satisfied in the end.

Life is more complicated with social media networks on the rise. Mental health

issues, focusing on likes and followers, and cyberbullying are just a few negative factors

associated with social media. With everyone on the same page about this topic, there is

hope that social media won’t turn into more of a negative contribution to our society.

Work Cited
Andrew Tamplin Tamplin
1
Prof. Trotter
English Comp II
3/23/2019

Anderson, Monica. “A Majority Of Teens Have Experienced Some Form of

Cyberbullying,” Pew Research Center, September 27, 2018.

https://www.pewinternet.org/2018/09/27/a-majority-of-teens-have-experienced-

some-form-of-cyberbullying/

Eslit Nila, “The negative effects of social media,” Science & Technology, March

25, 2017. https://wsimag.com/science-and-technology/24461-the-negative-

effects-of-social-media

Henderson-King, Eaaron. “Media Effects on Women's Body Esteem: Social and

Individual Difference Factors,” Journal Of Applied Social Psychology, July 31,

2006. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1559-1816.1997.tb00638.x

Hurley, Katie. “Social Media and Teens: How Does Social Media Affect

Teenagers’ Mental Health,” Vertical Health LLC, March 7, 2019

https://www.psycom.net/social-media-teen-mental-health#currentresearch

John A, Glendenning AC, Marchant A, Montgomery P, Stewart A, Wood S, Lloyd

K, Hawton K, Self-Harm, Suicidal Behaviours, and Cyberbullying in Children and

Young People: Systematic Review, J Med Internet Res 2018;20(4):e129

https://www.jmir.org/2018/4/e129

Sherman, Lauren, et al, “The Power of the Like in Adolescence: Effects of Peer

Influence on Neural and Behavioral Responses to Social Media,” Psychological

Science, May (2016), Vol 27, Issue 7.

Andrew Tamplin Tamplin
1
Prof. Trotter
English Comp II
3/23/2019

Sidani, J., et al, “The Association between Social Media Use and Eating

Concerns among US Young Adults,” Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and

Dietetics, September (2016), Volume 116, Issue 9: Pages 1465–1472.

Treyvaud, Robyn. “The Negative Effects Of Social Media On Teens,” Family

Insights, December 11, 2017. https://familyinsights.net/advice/negative-effects-

of-social-media-on-teens/