by Reese Dobson
Mental health is a very important problem in today’s world. More specifically, teen mental health. Students struggle with it every single day, and as expected, social media is a part of it.
In 2023, an estimated 4.9 billion people worldwide were expected to use social media, according to the American Psychological Association.
Social media is an environment where we can talk with our friends, post online, and just be ourselves. However, it’s so easy for teenagers to get wrapped up in it and let it take over.
Social media consumes so many people’s lives, so it’s common to get influenced easily.
Mental health has always been a serious issue across all ages, but according to Dr. Sally Robinson, in 2020, the incidence of depression in teens was 17%, almost 1 in 5 teens.
As a high school student, I understand the struggles and stress of being a student, balancing things every single day, and wanting just to take a break.
Social media is an entertainment source that people should be able to go on for fun. Unfortunately, a lot of teens struggle with cyberbullying, comparing themselves to others, and negativity online.
31% of teens who have personally experienced online harassment or bullying think they were targeted because of their physical appearance, according to the Pew Research Center’s survey.
Being cyberbullied is a main cause of mental health problems in teenagers. I think theretheir is too much negativity on the internet and it consumes people’s lives.
The effect of social media is unfortunately very negative and is a big cause of teenage mental health.
Teenagers are constantly dealing with other things, so I think everyone needs to be kind and not say hurtful words on the internet because we never know what someone is going through.
Strategies for Teens to Have Safer Social Media
- Report any bullying/harassment immediately
- Personalize privacy settings
- Stay away from suspicious links
- Create strong passwords
- Do not engage with random people
- Disable locations
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