Introduction
Social media use has increased significantly in recent years. As it has gained popularity, social media has shown to provide some benefits to users; however, there are also some negative factors involved that have many experts concerned about how social media may be negatively impacting people, especially in younger generations. One of the major concerns is the impact of social media on the mental health of adolescents as seen through the eyes of their parents, which is the focus of this study.
Background
Adolescents have been reporting higher rates of mental illness in recent years, such as anxiety and depression. The timing of sharp increases in teen mental illness appears to line up with society’s increased use of social media. While it would be inaccurate to conclude that social media is the cause for all cases of teen mental illness, there are factors involved with social media that may be impacting adolescents negatively.
One of the biggest contributors to stress in an adolescent’s life is school. A study was conducted in the UAE about how use of social networking is affecting students. The study shows that social media has benefits when used correctly, such as improving reading skills and students educating other students. In contrast, social media use can hinder a student’s performance if used incorrectly, such as creating distraction from homework or class lectures. If a student is using social media to the point that it impacts their schooling, this can certainly create feelings of stress, anxiety, and even hopelessness.
Peer interaction is a major focus for adolescents. One notable benefit of social media is enabling children with limiting illness to connect with others, thereby reducing feelings of loneliness and isolation. Social media can be an efficient method for connecting with other adolescents, planning events, and getting involved in activities, which can be highly beneficial for adolescents, especially if they have other factors in life that hinder social interaction. However, it has also been mentioned that a major downside of social media is that bullying can occur on a larger scale. Embarrassing videos, photos, or gossip can be shared and viewed within minutes, and it is difficult to remove such content from the internet. Bullying has always been a major concern for adolescents and is known to contribute to feelings of anxiety and depression.
The United States does not recognize excessive social media use as a behavioral disorder, but some experts believe that it fits the criteria. A group of researchers compared social media use to disorders recognized in the DSM-5. During their study, they drew information from many sources, including one that explained how social media addiction meets the diagnostic criteria of attention-getting, mood change, tolerance, withdrawal symptoms, and conflict and relapse. The study continued to explain that people with this behavioral addiction exhibit increases in behavioral, cognitive, and emotional preoccupation (attention-getting), and the excessive use causes emotional changes (mood change). Furthermore, the increase in use leads to tolerance, and by the time an individual attempts to decrease their use or completely stops using social media, they often experience withdrawal symptoms, which can be physical or emotional, which suggests that the use of social media leads to interpersonal and mental problems (conflict) and then leading to relapse.
Every human needs to have coping mechanisms for times of stress. There is a wide variety of management strategies for anxiety and depression, many of which can be hindered by excessive use of social media. One of those management strategies is getting adequate physical activity. As technology use has increased, physical activity among humans has decreased, and social media gives teens another reason to be sedentary instead of active. Another important factor is the need for adequate sleep; lack proper sleep is a known risk factor for mental illness, especially depression, and many teens stay up late using social media on their mobile devices.
Other coping mechanisms include participation in extracurricular activities and community involvement. Social media can help adolescents find opportunities to be involved, but it can also distract them while they are there. Adolescents, and frankly adults as well, are often seen at such activities snapping photos of themselves, checking their social media, and being distracted overall from their activities. If social media is directly or indirectly affecting involvement in these activities, adolescents will not receive as much of the benefit from being involved in their activities.
Methods
This study was framed by the literature described. A survey was created and a link was sent out in an email via a snowball sampling method. The survey was directed to parents, and it asked about social media use and behaviors they observed in their adolescent children, with the age of “adolescent” being defined as 13-17 years old. Questions included involvement in extracurricular activities, changes in peer interactions, use of social media, and other aspects that may impact a teen’s well-being.
For safety and liability reasons, there was exclusion criteria. Parents surveyed were asked if their child was 13-17 years old, and a negative answer caused the survey to end automatically. Parents were also asked if their child had active symptoms of a mental illness, and if they answered “yes,” the survey automatically ended. The survey encouraged seeking professional medical or mental health assistance from counselors, doctors, or other trusted professionals if they had any concerns about their child’s well-being.
Results
Data collection is ongoing for this study, yet there are some noteworthy preliminary results. For example, one question asked parents if in the last 3 months they had seen changes in their child’s peer interactions, and there were more parents who responded they saw negative changes than parents who reported they saw positive changes. Another question asked “has your child ever used social media during a school class when it wasn’t allowed?” and the number of parents that answered “yes” was significantly higher than that of those who answered “no,” and many others answered “I don’t know.” Toward the end of the survey, parents were asked if they noticed any increases in sadness or anxiousness in their child since they started using social media; more parents answered “no” than “yes,” but there were still several who answered “yes.”
Statistics are being compiled to give more precise values, but it is still alarming to see that any parents would report that their child is having negative changes in their peer interactions, using social media in school classes, or experiencing increased feelings of sadness. There could be other explanations for some of the negative changes and experiences, but these results reflect the need for parents and adolescents to set limits on social media use. Furthermore, this study shows the need for further investigation and research about the impact of social media on adolescents.
Discussion
Social media alone may not be to blame for an adolescent’s struggles. In fact, it can help some of their struggles by enabling connection with peers, finding information, and getting involved in activities. When regulated, social media shows many benefits. However, there are some risks associated with social media that can cause harm to adolescents, and it is important to be aware of the risks. Social media can be addictive, can exacerbate preexisting factors for mental and behavioral issues, can enable harsher bullying, and it can be very distracting. For these reasons, it is important for adolescents and their parents to have more discussions about social media use, such as setting boundaries, limiting use, and voicing any concerns. This discussion and education can be initiated by healthcare providers, teachers, and anyone else involved with the parents or adolescents.
See more of: Invited Posters