EFFECTS OF SOCIAL MEDIA

TO MENTAL HEALTH

PEEVE KAYE V. BALBUENA, RPm

25 April 2019
Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State University- Mid La Union Campus
City of San Fernando, La Union
 Social media
essentially refers to
a range of websites
that enable people
to interact
worldwide using
discussion, photos,
audio and video.
 Mental Health
Anxiety Teenager
Depression
Comparison
Facebook Depression
Filtration
 What are the social media that
commonly used by the teens

• Snapchat allows users to share photos and “stories” with their friends that disappear
after 24 hours. These “stories” allow users to share their experiences with all followers
through videos or photos.
• Instagram lets users share their life through photos or videos with a wider audience and
are not temporary like Snapchat. Many people use this platform for blogging, posting
videos from vacations as well as daily life, and sharing their interests in art, cooking, and
other activities.
• Facebook lets users to share photos, videos, and articles; share information about their
lives; chat with friends; and more.
• YouTube allows users to share original videos, such as music, cooking, make-up
tutorials, and vlogs.
• Twitter allows users to share their thoughts and personal updates in 280 characters or
less. All of these outlets are also popular sources for news as well as celebrity gossip.
 These social medias are known as “OUTLETS”
• According to the Pew Research Center, 78% of 18-24-year-olds
use Snapchat, while 71% use Instagram, and 68% use
Facebook. In addition, 94% of 18-24 years olds use YouTube
and 45% use Twitter.
 Mental health issues have risen significantly over the last decade and
the rise of digital media may be one reason why (Charles, 2019)

• Some studies show that online connections with small groups of

people can be beneficial to teens, while other research points to
a rise in symptoms of anxiety, depression, and eating disorders.
However!!!!!!!

The verdict is still out on whether social media is damaging or

beneficial to the mental health of teens.

Reasons???
• Social media is constantly changing and evolving
• No long-term studies have completed
 Is social media tied with Mental Health?
The research, published by the American Psychological Association, found sharp
increases in the number of young adults and adolescents who
reported experiencing negative psychological symptoms — specifically in those
born in 1995 or later, known as iGen. Coincidentally, the greatest spike in
symptoms occurred in 2011, around the same time social media bursts onto the
scene.

In 2016, an estimated of 44.7 million adults aged 18 or older in the

US had a mental illness. Young adults aged 18-25 had the highest
prevalence of any mental illness at 22.1% compared to adults aged
26-49 at 21.1% and aged 50 and older at 14.5%. (Elina Mir and
Caroline Novas, National Center for Health Research)

WHY IS THIS????

The number of social media platforms used and how often they
are used is related to youth mental health.
 Women are more likely to use Facebook than men.
Its October 2014 statistics on leading global social networks
ranked by number of active users (in millions) showed
Facebook way ahead at 1.320 billion. This was followed by
QZone (645 million), Google+ (343 million), LinkedIn (300
million), Twitter (271 million), Tumblr (230 million) and Roughly 73% of online adults now use a social-networking site of
Tencent Weibo (220 million). some kind, according to the Pew Research Centre’s 2013 Social Media
Update Project, which provides statistics updated to January 2014.

60% of Facebook users report going onto the site at least daily, while 40%
log on multiple times per day. Other platforms such as LinkedIn and Twitter
show similar frequency usage.

The Philippines again topped the world in terms of social media usage as the number of internet users in the
country hit 67 million people, according to a new report by London, United Kingdom-based consultancy We
Are Social.
• In its Digital 2018 report, Filipinos spent an average of 3 hours and 57 minutes a day on social media sites,
mainly on Facebook.
• There were 67 million accounts on Facebook in the Philippines, matching the total number of internet
users in the county. Another 10 million Filipinos were on Instagram, which is owned by Facebook
• The Philippines was also No. 1 in the world in terms of social media usage in 2017.
(It is number related)
-number of hours use in social media
-number of social media used
-number of likes received

One study out of the University of Pittsburgh, found a correlation between

time spent scrolling through social media apps and negative body image
feedback. Those who had spent more time on social media had 2.2 times
the risk of reporting eating and body image concerns, compared to their
peers who spent less time on social media.

According to the Pew Research Center, by 2015, 73% of teens had smartphones.
One psychology professor at San Diego State University discovered that teens
who spend 5 or more hours a day online were 71% more likely to have at least
one risk factor for suicide compared to teens who spent only 1 hour a day online.
This risk increases with only two or more hours spent online.
“The more time young adults spent on social media,
the more likely they were to have problems sleeping
and report symptoms of depression.”

“Receiving a high number of likes on photos

showed increased activity in the reward center of
the brain. Further, teens are influenced to like
photos, regardless of content, based on high
numbers of likes. Bottom line: It feels good to be
“liked” and herd mentality is big on social media.
Like what others like and you’re in.”
 Pros of Social Media
• Social media spreads
information faster than any
other media.
• Law enforcement uses social
media to catch and prosecute
criminals.
• Social media sites help
students do better at school.
• Social media allows people to
improve their relationships
and make new friends.
• Social media helps empower
business women.
• Social media sites help
employers find employees
and job-seekers find work.
Cons of Social
Media
• Social media enables the spread of
unreliable and false information.
• Social media lacks privacy and
exposes users to government and
corporate intrusions.
• Students who are heavy social media
users tend to have lower grades.
• Social media can lead to stress and
offline relationship problems.
• Social media can entice people to
waste time.
• Using social media can harm job
stability and employment prospects.
 Pros of Social Media
• Being a part of a social media
site can increase a person's
quality of life and reduce the
risk of health problems.
• Social media facilitates face-to-
face interaction.
• Social media increases voter
participation.
• Social media facilitates
political change.
• Social media is good for the
economy.
• Social media sites empower
individuals to make social
change and do social good on a
community level.
Cons of Social
• The use Media
of social media is
correlated with personality and
brain disorders.
• Social media causes people to
spend less time interacting face-
to-face.
• Criminals use social media to
commit and promote crimes.
• Social media can endanger the
military, journalists, and activists.
• Social media harms employees'
productivity.
• Social media facilitates
cyberbullying.
 Pros of Social Media
• Social media helps senior citizens
feel more connected to society.
• Social media helps people who are
socially isolated or shy connect
with other people.
• Social media allows for quick, easy
dissemination of public health and
safety information from reputable
sources.
• Social media can help disarm social
stigmas.
• "Crowdsourcing" and
"crowdfunding" on social media
allows people to collectively
accomplish a goal.
Cons of Social
• Media
Social media enables "sexting,"
which can lead to criminal
charges and the unexpected
proliferation of personal images.
• People who use social media are
prone to social isolation.
• Social media aids the spread of
hate groups.
• Children may endanger
themselves by not understanding
the public and viral nature of
social media.
• Social media enables cheating on
school assignments.
 Pros of Social Media
• Social media provides
academic research to a wider
audience, allowing many people
access to previously unavailable
educational resources.
• Corporations and small
businesses use social media to
benefit themselves and
consumers.
• Social media offers teachers a
platform for collaboration with
other teachers and
communication with students
outside the classroom.
Cons of Social
Media
• Social media sites' advertising
practices may constitute an
invasion of privacy.
• Social media can facilitate
inappropriate student-teacher
relationships.
• Unauthorized sharing on social
media exposes artists to
copyright infringement, loss of
intellectual property, and loss of
income.
 Pros of Social Media Cons of Social
Media
• Social media offers a • Using social media can harm
way for musicians and students' chances for college
artists to build audiences admission.
even if they don't have a
corporate contract. • Social media posts cannot be
• Colleges and universities completely deleted and all
use social media to information posted can have
recruit and retain unintended consequences.
students.
• Social media allows for • Social media users are
rapid communication vulnerable to security attacks
during crisis events. such as hacking, identity theft,
and viruses.
 From those outlets, (mentioned earlier)
FILTRATION and COMPARISONS happened
• Well-adjusted teens tend to put their best foot forward, broadcasting
only their best attributes and qualities online.
• They choose what to reveal about themselves and filter or minimize
negative characteristics.
-to promote a somewhat deceptively positive sense of self.
- In response, their friends’ feedback, comments, and posts tend to
be overwhelmingly positive, creating a positive feedback loop.

• Less-adjusted teens constantly reading about the seeming success of

their Facebook “friends” can make them feel worse than in real life
where, at least, their peers visibly fail from time to time.

- The positive spin that popular kids put on Facebook ends up widening
the disconnect between how less well-adjusted or unpopular kids view
others and how they view themselves.
 In this regard, school is taking part of this issue in social
media.
• The growing crisis around students’ mental health, and the scarcity
of available care, has long been a concern of many educators and
health professionals. Interest among lawmakers, however, is a
relatively new trend, sparked primarily by the spate of mass
shootings. There is also a growing awareness of the stress and
anxiety gripping so many teenagers, the role of trauma in their lives,
overdue scrutiny over punitive school discipline policies, and the
devastating effects of poverty.

• While districts may look at hiring more school counselors to fill

gaps, Kathy Reamy cautions that their role is often misunderstood.
Counselors unquestionably have unique training to help students
deal with the social and emotional issues that interfere with their
academic success. But real improvement to school mental health
programs doesn’t and shouldn’t end with hiring more counselors.
Mental Health First Aid
These are five steps that can help people with mental
health problems (3L’s):
• Assess risk of suicide or self-harm
• Listen non-judgmentally
• Give reassurance and information
• Encourage the person to get appropriate professional
help
• Encourage self-help strategies
 ACTION PRINCIPLES OF PFA
LOOK. LISTEN. LINK.
LOOK
• ▪ Check for safety.
• ▪ Check for people with obvious urgent basic needs.
• ▪ Check for people with serious distress reactions.

LISTEN
• ▪ Approach people who may need support.
• ▪ Ask about people’s needs and concerns.
• ▪ Listen to people, and help them to feel calm.

LINK
• ▪ Help people address basic needs and access services.
• ▪ Help people cope with problems.
• ▪ Give information.
• ▪ Connect people with loved ones and social support.
 What Should You Do?
• "Here's the bottom line," said study author Melissa G. Hunt in a
statement. "Using less social media than you normally would leads
to significant decreases in both depression and loneliness. These
effects are particularly pronounced for folks who were more
depressed when they came into the study.“

• Additionally, it seems to suggest that we don’t need to cut out social

media use completely, but just to curtail it.

• "It is a little ironic that reducing your use of social media actually
makes you feel less lonely," said Hunt.

• making any kind of comparison—not just to people who you think

are more attractive or smarter, but also people who you think
are less attractive or smart (or anything) than you—is linked to
poorer well-being.
• Social media, especially spending long periods of time on it, is just
not that good for us. We may not need to quit it completely, but
limiting our time on social media considerably, and reconnecting
with friends and family in real life, is definitely the way to go.

• Research is needed to understand how digital communication versus

face-to-face social interaction influences mood disorders and
suicide-related outcomes, she added.

• Spending time with people face to face is a big protective factor

against depression. We sometimes assume that communicating
electronically is as good, but it's not.

• Depression, anxiety, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD),

and bipolar disorder are the most common mental health diagnoses
among children and adolescents. And the overwhelming majority of
those do not have access to any treatment.
If Facebook posts depress you, the solution is simple. Here
are four things you can do today to help you cope:
• Deactivate your Facebook account (you can always
reactivate it later)
• Unfollow your most (seemingly) happy and
successful friends
• Remember that Facebook isn’t a representation of
reality
• Turn off the computer and go make your own
annoyingly happy moments
Tips from social-media experts
• When you use technology, make sure it doesn’t
detract from important relationships and responsibilities.
If your child or spouse complains that you’re always on • If you start skipping work or college because you spent
your smartphone, you may want to cut back and do moreall night playing League of Legends, or if chatting on
things that involve direct interaction. Facebook with friends means you’re unable to meet
deadlines, you should re-evaluate your priorities – that is,
• If you feel worse after using a social-media site, if your job or studies are important to you.
you may want to change who you interact with, or
decide whether you want to use the site at all.
• It may be helpful to take “social-media vacations”,
where you stop using a site for a period of time and
• If you’re being harassed on social-media sites and then come back, or take breaks during the day by
feel it’s negatively impacting your well-being, make switching off devices.
sure you know what you can do to protect yourself.
This could include measures such as reporting a person
harassing you or blocking them. • If you’re a parent and are concerned that your child is
spending too much time on social media, look for
creative ways to encourage or even make it compulsory
to ensure “off” time away from sites and devices.
Thank You!!!

We’re seeing progress that hopefully will
continue. We can’t wait until a student is
at a crisis state. Like diabetes or cancer,
you should never wait until stage 4 to
intervene.” – Theresa Nguyen, Mental
Health America
Psychological Services:
1. Counseling and Psychotherapy
2. Psychological Evaluation
3. Training, Seminar and Workshop
Consultancy