The Connection Between Social Media and Teen Mental Health

By Empowered Connections, LLC

. https://empoweredconnections.net/

More Mental Health Articles

The Connection Between Social Media and Teen Mental Health

Social media now permeates nearly every facet of modern life. And while the benefits of these platforms may be numerous, there may also be some detrimental considerations.

This is especially true for mental health in teenagers. These young adults are simultaneously still learning to navigate emotionally fraught moments and are also more regular users of these platforms. 

The Positive Impact
Of Social Media

Many teens enjoy a social media platform not as an escape from their social life but as an extension of it. This could include myriad benefits, such as:

Feeling connected to their friends and family while not face-to-face

Meeting other young people

Joining and maintaining their place in a community

Sharing aspects of their lives with peers and/or strangers

Discovering new aspects of themself

It’s easy to vilify new technologies or cultural shifts. But it is also important to remember that not all online interactions result in negative impacts.

The Effects Of Social Media
Teens’ Mental Health

In a scientific article published by the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, the effects are clear. Numerous correlations are made between social media use and poor mental and physical outcomes. This includes:

Poor sleep patterns,

Depression, and

Anxiety.

The above examples are based on a limited set of research data. But they do share a window into the reality of a teenager’s life online.

Imagine engaging with a loaded interaction right up until bedtime. Then, as a result, imagine sleeping poorly or experiencing anxiety and depression the next day. It is easy to imagine a reality in which this becomes a vicious cycle.

One can also imagine a relationship between the kind of content one sees online and the pressure to conform to societal norms. Young girls have had to deal with this for generations. This is thanks to the pressures of advertising, media, and the feminine beauty ideal. But that has been in moments when they were engaging with our culture as consumers.

With social media, it is no longer just in advertising, fashion, or media that teenage girls have to grapple with. Instead, even simple social interactions might inspire feelings of envy or frustration with their own life satisfaction.

There are countless examples of how social media can harm a teen girl’s mental health. But there are also countless means to help mitigate that harm. Counseling is a reliable way to help navigate the journey toward positive mental health in today’s complicated media climate.