Surgeon General Warns Of Negative Impact Of Social Media On Mental Health

Position Paper #3 Draft

For this paper, I chose to look at how social media affects young adults' mental health. Most people, including me, think it can be bad and can show bad habits and examples for young adults, but I think there are also some good things about it. I will use my experiences and what I've read to show both sides and give a fair view. Social media is a big part of young people's lives. It helps us talk to each other, make friends, and show who they are. But spending too much time on it can make them feel lonely, worried, and sad. Seeing lots of perfect pictures and lives online can make them feel like they're not good enough. The article "Surgeon General Warns of Negative Impact of Social Media on Teen Mental Health” by Erika

Keum, Wang, Callaway, Abebe, Cruz, O’Connor. Constant exposure to images and lifestyles on platforms like Instagram can lead to unrealistic comparisons, fostering feelings of inadequacy and low self-esteem, and also the pressure to maintain a certain image or popularity online can create stress and anxiety, as teens may feel compelled to constantly monitor their online presence to fit societal expectations. Additionally, cyberbullying, which is common on social media platforms, can further hurt feelings, fostering anxiety, and depression among vulnerable teens, as they face constant criticism from their peers. These effects can significantly impact the mental health of young adults, highlighting the importance of promoting healthy online behaviors and providing support for those struggling with the negative effects of social media. Social media can also cause thoughts of self-harm and suicidal thoughts, as well as an article I researched said ”Among those who could remember and did not refuse to tell, the majority (63.9%) indicated that their exposure to self-harm content on Instagram had emotionally disturbed them. Interestingly, emotional disturbance did not show correlations with own self-harming behavior, suicidal ideation, suicide plans, suicide risk, and hopelessness” (Arendt, Scherr, Romer). The research by Arendt, Scherr, and Romer highlights the importance of being careful about what we are watching on social media, especially concerning topics like self-harm. Their study found that most people felt upset after seeing self-harm content on Instagram. Interestingly, feeling upset wasn't related to whether someone had self-harmed or thought about suicide themselves. This shows that what we see online can affect us