Social Media Mental Health

SOCIAL MEDIA USE AND MENTAL HEALTH ON CBU STUDENTS

1. Introduction

1.1 Background Information

Using social media Web sites is among the most common activity of today’s children and adolescents. Any Web site that allows social interaction is considered a social media site, including social networking sites such as Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter; gaming sites and virtual worlds such as Club Penguin, Second Life, and the Sims; video sites such as YouTube; and blogs. Such sites offer today’s youth a portal for entertainment and communication and have grown exponentially in recent years. Pediatricians are in a unique position to help families understand these sites and to encourage healthy use and urge parents to monitor for potential problems with

Concepts of mental health include subjective well-being, perceived self-efficacy, autonomy, competence, intergenerational dependence and recognition of the ability to realise one’s intellectual and emotional potential. It has also been defined as a state of well-being whereby individuals recognise their abilities, are able to cope with the normal stresses of life, work productively and fruitfully, and make a contribution to their communities. In this study, mental health will be referred to using the latter definition.

Osharive (2015) noted, with a rise in the use of social media students are so engrossed in the social media that they are almost 24 hours online which affects mental health as defined by WHO because it has a consequence on the productivity of making a contribution to the community.

1.2 Statement of the problem

Engaging in various forms of social media is a routine activity that research has shown to benefit children and adolescents by enhancing communication, social connection, and even technical skills (Ito M. et al, 2010). Sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram offer several and various everyday opportunities for connecting with friends, family, and people with common interests. Furthermore, social media may offer scope to help ease the burden of self management for chronic disease sufferers and may be a suitable means to provide clinical care (Merolli M. et al, 2013)

However, it came with its adverse effects hence the reason for this research. The review will not include any articles not relating to social media, simple or non-internet based interventions, and studies earlier than 2006 due to the fact that major social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter became available to users throughout the world around this time (Hendricks, 2013). Most sources reviewed that social media is a platform intended for good but can have some unwanted consequences. Availability of sources were found by systematically searching databases for relevant academical published articles. These are: Google Scholar, Medscape, American Academy of Paediatricians and Research