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TRANSCRIPT
Social Media’s
Impact on Teen
Mental Health
Teens are increasingly active on social media platforms…
Photo by Victor Hanacek, PicJumbo
72% 68%
66% 36%
Percentage of teens and young
adults aged 12-24 years old who
use each social media platform:1
Photo by Yoppy, Flickr.[Source 1] Statista.
Photo by Anonymous, KaboomPics
This increased usage of social media has led to…
“1/4 of students reporting
poor self-rated mental health,
psychological distress, suicidal
ideation, or unmet need for
mental health support"2
[Source 2] Payne, Elizabeth.
Photo by Anonymous, KaboomPics
Social media alters the way
that teens think and interact
with each other:
Representation and social
norms are changed.𝟑1
• Representation through repetition
can tell us what we should be
thinking
• Norms of body image and status can
be established through celebrities
posting on social media
Photo by Victor Hanacek, PicJumbo[Source 3] Matrix, Sidneyeve.
Photo by Anonymous, KaboomPics
Women are more than twice as
likely to say that their
conception of beauty is shaped by
women in the public domain.𝟒
78% of women surveyed felt
that the portrayal of women
on social media is unrealistic
82% of women surveyed said
that they thought that
social media could change
the standards of beauty[Source 4] Katz, Brigit.
The use of algorithm-driven social medi𝒂𝟓2• Algorithms create social media echo chambers where it is difficult to find
challenged viewpoints
• Social media is filtered to show only what we want to see or have seen in
the past, not what we need to seePhoto by Anonymous, KaboomPics[Source 5] Matrix, Sidneyeve.
60% of millennials use
Facebook as their primary
source of news.6
• The newsfeed algorithms
choose our content based
on what our friends post
• Because we tend to interact
with like-minded people,
the chance of us being
shown a different
perspective is quite slim
Photo by Anonymous, KaboomPics[Source 6] Hosanagar, Hartik.
Messes with teens′ ability to think independentl𝑦73• Social media forces teens to fall into peer pressure more easily
• The action of “liking” each other’s posts makes people feel the need to
not only measure their self-worth in terms of likes, but also to like posts
that are liked by many other people
[Source 7] Beres, Damon. Photo by Anonymous, KaboomPics
Lack of independent
thinking among teens can
cause them to lose their
identity and sense of
individuality.
Photo by Anonymous, KaboomPics
Awareness of these issues is crucial for teens because without
intervention, increased interaction with social media can cause a
multitude of issues, including:
Photo by Anonymous, KaboomPics
Cyberbullying can occur
among teens when social
media is overused.8
1 in 3 of teens have received
cyberthreats online
Over 25% of teens have been
repeatedly bullied through their
cell phones or the internet
More than half of
cyberbullying victims do not
report the incident to their
parents or another adultPhoto by Maujesm, Flickr.[Source 8] Bullying Statistics.
Photo by Gabriela Minks, Flickr.
Frequently being exposed to photos that can create body image
concerns on social media can cause eating disorders in teens
that are predisposed to developing one.9
[Source 9] Eating Disorder hope.
Photo by Isabella Mariana, Flickr.
A study from the University of
Halifax has shown that girls
with increased exposure to
social media have a greater
chance of developing an eating
disorder.10
[Source 10] Eating Disorder hope.
Increased exposure to social media can cause depression in
teens who are impacted by unrealistic expectations on social media
Photo by Chelsea Burgess, Flickr.
To prevent the negative
impacts of social media use
among teens, parents can…
Photo by Victor Hanacek, PicJumbo
1) Limit social media use to no
more than 2 hours per day
2) Monitor the content that
their children are consuming
3) Discuss their children’s
mental health regularly
Photo by Victor Hanacek, PicJumbo
Social media is an increasingly important aspect of teens’ lives. It is
important to understand how to use it correctly in order to avoid
the potentially negative impacts.
Photo by Victor Hanacek, PicJumbo
References:1) Statista. “Reach of leading social media and networking sites used by teenagers and young adults in the
United States as of February 2016.” 2016. Retrieved from:
https://www.statista.com/statistics/199242/social-media-and-networking-sites-used-by-us-teenagers/
2) Payne, Elizabeth. “Teens’ poor mental health linked to social media use” Ottawa Citizen. N.p. 08 Aug.
2015. Web. 02 Mar. 2017.
3) Matrix. Sidneyeve. “Module 1 Lecture 01 Media Convergence..” 10 Jan. 2017. OnQ. Web.
https://onq.queensu.ca/d2l/le/content/71613/viewContent/849731/View
4) Katz, Brigit. New study shows impact of social media on beauty standards. New York Times. April 03,
2015. Web. Retrieved from: http://nytlive.nytimes.com/womenintheworld/2015/04/03/new-study-
shows-impact-of-social-media-on-beauty-standards/
5) Matrix. Sidneyeve. “Module 1 Lecture 02 Media Use Research Part 2 of 2. 17 Jan. 2017. OnQ. Web.
https://onq.queensu.ca/d2l/le/content/71613/viewContent/860602/View
6) Hosanagar, Hartik. “Blame the Echo Chamber on Facebook, but Blame Yourself, Too. Wired.
November 11, 2016. Web. Retrieved from: https://www.wired.com/2016/11/facebook-echo-chamber/
7) Beres, Damon. “5 Weird Negative Effects of Social Media on Your Brain.” Reader’s Digest. 2017. Web.
Retrieved from: http://www.rd.com/health/wellness/negative-effects-of-social-media/
8) Unknown Author. “Cyber Bullying Statistics”. Bullying Statistics. 2017. Web. Retrieved from:
http://www.bullyingstatistics.org/content/cyber-bullying-statistics.html
9) Unknown Author. “The Influence of Social Media on Adolescent Eating Disorders.” Eating Disorders
Hope. January 24, 2016. Web. Retrieved from: https://www.eatingdisorderhope.com/blog/the-
influence-of-social-media-on-adolescent-eating-disorders
10) Unknown Author. “Does Social Media Cause Eating Disorders in Children?”. Eating Disorders Hope.
September 9, 2016. Web. Retrieved from: https://www.eatingdisorderhope.com/blog/social-media-
cause-eating-disorders-children