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Sarah Figert

Professor Gathof
English 102
11 April 2016
Adolescents and Social Media
Social media has become increasingly prevalent in modern society, especially among
adolescents. Merriam-Websters website defines social media as, forms of electronic
communication (as Web sites for social networking and microblogging) through which users
create online communities to share information, ideas, personal messages, and other content
(Merriam-Webster). Some of the most popular social media cites are Facebook, twitter,
Instagram, Snapchat, Pinterest, Tumblr, Yik Yak, Vine, Linkedin, Google plus, Flicker, Reddit,
and YouTube. Social media is a tool used to stay connected with friends, share thoughts and
photos, stay in touch with family, stay up to date with current events and news, advertise, and it
is even being used in classrooms through cites like Edmodo. While social media is extremely
useful, it also has its negative consequences. Social media can create polarization through
selective exposure, enable cyberbullying, create a false sense of reality, and is thought to be the
cause of a variety of psychological disorders. Social media is beginning to have negative
psychological repercussions for adolescents such as: depression, social anxiety, and issues with
body image.
According to the Pew Research Center 95% of adolescents between the ages of twelve
and seventeen with smartphones get online daily, and 71% of teens use multiple social media
cites (Lenhart). The majority of social media users are adolescents. Adolescents are also more
likely than any other age group in America to use social media (Lenhart). Adolescents that

constantly expose themselves to social media will naturally be influenced and effected by what
they see.
Adolescents are especially vulnerable to the negative consequences of social media
because they are still developing their identity, and their own thoughts and perceptions of the
world. The internet provides a seemingly endless plethora of information at the fingertips of
impressionable adolescents. This poses an issue not only to the adolescents themselves, but to
their parents as well. The majority of parents of todays adolescence are not as technologically
aware as their children, which can result in a loss of control over what their children are exposed
to through social media.
Social media does not only effect the adolescents who are using it in their daily lives, but
it also has an effect on the families of these adolescents. In the article, The Impact On Family
Functioning of Social Media Used by Depressed Adolescents: A Qualitative Analysis of the
Family Options Study Andrew Lewis disuses this issue. In this article the author talks about a
study done to see how depressed adolescence using social media effects the family structure,
from the perspective of the parents. The study concluded that social media caused or greatened a
disconnect between depressed adolescents and their parents (Lewis 1). The article goes on to say
that the parents also found the symptoms of their childrens depression worsening. The article
states that parents feel they have an inability to protect their children (Lewis 5) from the risks
and stressors imposed on them by social media. From this article the conclusion can be made that
social media poses a serious risk to adolescents who are already suffering mental disorders, such
as depression, as well as creating a strain on the cohesion of their families. Many people who
suffer from psychological disorders feel intense shame around their disorder, making it difficult
to seek help. Adolescents who are suffering from psychological disorders relating to, or as a

result of social media are even less likely to seek help in there parents if there is a disconnect
caused by social media.
Adolescents who already suffer from preexisting psychological disorders are not the only
ones who are effected in a negative way by social media. The article Concerns Regarding Social
Media and Health Issues in Adolescents and Young Adults discusses how social media can
actually cause depression along with other mental disorders.
Social media can cause a variety of different mood and eating disorders by lowering the
self-esteem and self-worth of its users. The article, Media Exposure, Extracurricular Activities,
And Appearance-Related Comments as Predictors of Female Adolescents Self-Objectification
discusses how social media can cause low levels of self-esteem, and sexual objectification in
adolescents. The authors state that medias constant focus on female bodies and body parts
seamlessly aligns viewers with an implicit sexualizing gaze (Slater, Tiggemann 377). Before
there was social media adolescents still faced similar issues, but on a smaller scale. The authors,
Amy Slater and Marika Tiggemann, discuss how adolescence used to compare themselves to
models in magazines, which created a similar problem that the adolescents of today are facing
with social media (Slater, Tiggemann 337).
Todays adolescents are facing this problem on a much larger scale, because social media
is so prominent in todays society. The difference for todays adolescents is that on social media
anyone can Photoshop themselves to look disproportionately perfect, which can set unrealistic
standards for adolescents. Social media possesses the same advertisement that can be found in
magazines, as well as photos that are posted by friends. On social media people also have the
power to only post the good pictures of themselves having a good time. Adolescents are
beginning to base their self worth off of the number of likes they get on the photos that they post

to their social media pages, which can be a dangerous thing. When these adolescents figure out
which kind of photos get the most likes, that is what they will post. This often times results in
posting promiscuous photos, as well as encouraging complete conformity.
The article, "Photoshopping The Selfie: Self Photo Editing and Photo Investment Are
Associated With Body Dissatisfaction In Adolescent Girls, discusses a study about how
overexposure to social media can provoke eating disorders and other body image related issues
in adolescent girls. The study was based off of questionnaires about body related issues and
social media (Sin A. McLean 1132). The results of the study showed that there was a positive
correlation between eating disorders and social media use. The girls that reported using social
media also reported having more body image and eating related issues, and the girls that reported
not using social media reported not having significant body image related issued or eating
disorders (Sin A. McLean 1132). Social media encourages social comparison, especially in
adolescent girls. Social comparison is encouraged by social media because there are so many
people on these cites that only post the positive aspects of their lives, and it is easy for
adolescents to set standards for themselves based of this false concept of reality.
Body dissatisfaction can lead to anorexia, bulimia, self-harm, and depression. After social
media has created these issues, it can further encourage and enable them. By creating anonymous
accounts adolescents can easily follow and create accounts that encourage unhealthy behavior.
On sites like Instagram there are pro-ana and pro-mia accounts that encourage eating disorders.
These accounts provide followers with tips on diet restriction, purging, and photos popularly
called thinspiration. These photos feature unhealthy skinny bodies with bones protruding to
inspire and motivate unhealthy eating behaviors. These photos often include quotes such as,
nothing tastes as good as skinny feels (Instagram, unknown origin). There are also accounts

that encourage self-harm behavior. These accounts feature photos of self-harm tools, blood, and
self-harm wounds. Followers of these accounts can learn how to acquire self-harm tools, as well
as hide their wounds and scars. Adolescents follow these types of accounts because they can talk
to other people who are experiencing the same things as they are, and are provided with a sort of
validation. As long as adolescents are involved with this they are unlikely to change their
unhealthy behaviors.
Many social media sites have taken notice to these accounts and search terms such as ana,
mia, self-harm, depression, and suicide. For example, if any of the depression/self-harm terms
are searched on Instagram a content advisory notice will come up that states, Please be advised:
These posts may contain graphic content. For information and support with suicide or self-harm
please tap on learn more (Instagram). None of the results to the search can be viewed until after
the user clicks Show Posts at the bottom of the advisory notice. If any of the eating disorder
terms are searched a similar content advisory will come up. Instagram also has a feature where
users can report photos out of concern for the mental health of other users. After clicking the
report button, the use will be prompted to select a reason for reporting the photos, and Instagram
provides a section titled, Self-harm (eating disorder, cutting, or suicidal content). After
reviewing the reported photo Instagram will send a notification to the user who posted the photo
saying that other users are concerned about them, and provides phone numbers for services such
as the national suicide hotline.
Social media is everywhere in pop culture. The movie Cyberbully is about an adolescent
girls experience with social media. Like I say in my annotated bibliography, the movie about a
teenage girl who is cyberbullied through a social media site, and has intense psychological
repercussions including a suicide attempt. Throughout the movie the main character is so

obsessed with social media that she wont even stop using it when she gets bullied through the
social media cite. The person who is bullying her online turns out to be one of her best friends
that she hangs out with all the time. The only reason that the girl who is cyberbullying her is
being so mean is because she has the screen to protect her identity, and desensitize her to the
severity of her bullying. As a result of the bullying the main character isolates herself, suffers
from depression, and attempts suicide, only to be stopped by her mother. This movie
demonstrates the vulnerability and impressionability of adolescent girls who are influenced by
social media, as well as portraying the potential risks facing these adolescents.
One scene in the movie that really depicts the issues that can be caused by cyberbullying,
is about a quarter of the way through. The main character tells her mother that she doesnt want
to go to school, and her mother says that she is going to go to the school to talk to the principal.
In this scene we see that the main characters anxiety and depression are debilitating her to the
point where she even wants to avoid going to school. In this scene we also see that there is a
disconnect between the main character and her mother. The issues that are portrayed in this scene
are common among adolescences who face cyberbullying.
Cyberbullying is incredibly easy because the of how detached the bully is from their
victim, they can be anonymous, they never see the consequences of their hurtful words, and they
never have to face the person they are bullying. On social media people post mean and insulting
comments on photos of others for a variety of reasons, and there can be very serious
psychological repercussions for the victims of these comments. If adolescents are basing their
self worth on the number likes they get on the photos they post, hurtful or negative comments
can juristically decrease their self worth. This results in depression, eating disorders, and anxiety
disorders. Cyberbully is one of many movies made that embodies the negative psychological

consequences of social media. The astounding number of films that embody these aspects of
social media makes it evident how dominant it is in society. A few of these movies are;
Disconnect, In Real Life, and Catfish.
To prevent cyberbullying many social media cites have created a block, and report
feature. By blocking someone they can no longer view, comment, or like post made by the
person that blocked them. When they bully is anonymous or not personally known by the victim
blocking them isnt a problem, but if the bully is someone that they know there can be fear
associated with being reprimanded in person by the bully if they are blocked. Many social media
cite also have a report button. After someone is reported, the cite will prompt the user to say why
they want to report someone. If the social media cite sees this person as a threat they will take
away their social media account. While these features are helpful, they cant prevent
cyberbullying all together.
While social media has some negative aspects, such as time consumption, it also has
some benefits, such as creating an outlet for people with social anxiety and building self-esteem.
Social media also allows us to stay in touch with family and friends, is an extremely convenient
way to communicate, as well as providing networking opportunities. The article, Social Media:
How Does It Affect Our Mental Health and Well-Being discusses not only the negative effects
of social media, but also argues that there can be positive effects. In the article the author, Honor
Whiteman, acknowledges the addiction that society has to social media. She also acknowledges a
few of the positive results that social media can have. People with social anxiety have a hard
time with face to face interactions, and the author argues that social media can allow people with
social anxiety to express themselves in a new way. While this is true it also enables people with
social anxiety to stay in their comfort zone, and not improve or work on their disorder.

Social media can also create social anxiety in adolescents. Adolescents who have always
used social media could become dependent on the comfort of social media, and not develop
social skills that are normally gained during that age. If adolescents are used to communicating
through their screen, face to face interactions could begin to create anxiety. Many adolescents
who grow up communicating through as screen will not develop the social skills that are
normally developed during these years of adolescents. An example of this would be the dramatic
rise in telephone phobia, or fear of talking on the phone, that has occurred in recent years. The
rise in telephone phobia has been attributed to the rise in texting. Adolescents communicate
mostly through texting, and talking to someone on the phone is a rare occasion that provokes
anxiety in many adolescents.
While social media can cause a variety of psychological disorders for adolescents that are
not easy to fix, there are preventative steps that can be taken. Cyberbullying will not end, social
comparisons will still be made, and social media will continue to evolve. So many adolescents
have committed suicide because of the issues they face on social media. Many schools have
begun to take notice to this issue, and are implementing anti-cyberbullying programs, and
inviting speakers to shed light on the threats social media can pose. The Megan Meier
Foundation, End to Cyberbullying Organization, and the Cybersmile Foundation are all
programs that are working to help adolescents navigate social media in a safe way as well
prevent cyberbullying. Parents can follow their childrens social media accounts, and request to
know their passwords in order to monitor their online activity. It is also important for parents to
be aware of the signs of depression, eating disorders, anxiety disorders, and suicide. The
psychological disorders that can result from social media are not completely preventable, but
they are extremely treatable.

Works Cited:

Amanda Lenhart. Teens, Social Media & Technology Overview 2015. Pew Research Center.
Web. 28 March 2016.

Becker, Mark W., Reem Alzahabi, and Christopher J. Hopwood. "Media Multitasking Is
Associated With Symptoms Of Depression And Social Anxiety." Cyberpsychology,
Behavior & Social Networking 16.2 (2013): 132-135. Academic Search Complete. Web.
18 Feb. 2016.

"Concerns Regarding Social Media And Health Issues In Adolescents And Young
Adults." Obstetrics & Gynecology 127.2 (2016): e62-e65. Academic Search Complete.
Web. 18 Feb. 2016.

Cyberbully. Charles Biname. ABC Family. 2011. Film.

Honor Whiteman. Social Media: How Does It Affect Our Mental Health and Well-Being?
Medical News Today. 10 June 2015. Website. 18 February 2016.

Lewis, Andrew J., et al. "The Impact On Family Functioning Of Social Media Use By Depressed
Adolescents: A Qualitative Analysis Of The Family Options Study." Frontiers In
Psychiatry (2015): 1-8. Academic Search Complete. Web. 18 Feb. 2016.

McLean, Sin A., et al. "Photoshopping The Selfie: Self Photo Editing And Photo Investment
Are Associated With Body Dissatisfaction In Adolescent Girls." International Journal Of
Eating Disorders 48.8 (2015): 1132-1140. Academic Search Complete. Web. 18 Feb.
2016.

Slater, Amy, and Marika Tiggemann. "Media Exposure, Extracurricular Activities, And
Appearance-Related Comments As Predictors Of Female Adolescents SelfObjectification." Psychology Of Women Quarterly 39.3 (2015): 375-389. Academic
Search Complete. Web. 18 Feb. 2016.

"Social Media." Merriam-Webster.com. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 11 Apr. 2016.

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