You have a phone, I have a phone, and all of your friends probably do too. There should not be a reason to evade some of the most ubiquitous inventions of our generation, and one of the most normalized at that, our phones. But besides getting hooked on random information you may see, or buying useless products, there are invisible repercussions of these common devices and apps. This is why social media is seen as extremely common and harmless, but we do not realize the intense effects it places on us. The usage of social media platforms such as Instagram, Snapchat and Tik Tok are negatively affecting our youth by impacting their overall mental health involving their body image, taking up their time engaging in life, and turning to it as an escape from other mental health issues. Social media used in the wrong ways is dangerous, and there needs to be actions taken to mitigate the harm it is causing on our youth.

One of the major reasons it is so harmful to our youth is because of the addictive qualities social media has, which are hard to break for anyone. Social media companies do not really mean for these addictive qualities to harm our mental health directly, but it is clearly seen that addictive qualities such as these make worsening our mental health very easy. The only intention for these methods is to keep people on the app, so that the companies can make money, and the companies do this in a way similar to gambling. Reward scheduling, the process in which a reward is set to a varying amount of rewards like money, results in a dopamine release, (the reward) causes you to keep using it. This is what makes playing the slot machines at a casino so engaging. According to Jacob Miller from University Wire, “Social media companies have adopted these types of algorithms and use them in much the same way casinos do. Instead of pulling a lever, we scroll endlessly down a page. Instead of a financial reward, we are rewarded socially with likes, videos, seeing attractive people and things, etc." (Miller) This shows how social media's mental health impacts are not necessarily intentional, however the ways and the fact that it keeps us intensely engaged does. This enforces the way that we know it affects us. Social media rips our lives away from us. Like it is dragging us into an endless abyss of scrolling, leading us down a path of doom as we do not realize the full effect this content consumption has on us, its proven and intentional ways to keep us in this pit. 

But some people have realized its damaging effects. However, they cannot seem to break themselves from the habits surrounding them. For example, "Activist Larissa May told lawmakers that at one point during college, she was spending more than 14 hours a day in one social media app. "I was addicted to the place that was killing me, that was reminding me of who I would never become, what I would never look like," (Donaldson) she said. This anecdote enforces the idea that social media is impacting our youth in ways we do not realize. Since social media is seen as an extremely common, harmless part of our lives, we do not think anything of it when negative consequences present themselves because we think it is just another part of the way the world works. Which it is, as it can be recognized that this story is not an uncommon one. This story is one that can be heard among much of the youth today, however it does not make this issue any less important and clearly impactful.

After all of this, it might seem like there is not anything good for social media to offer, however, there is disagreement. For example, an interviewee from Chicago Tribune says that he views social media as an escape from his daily life stressors, saying "I’d argue, however, that having social media as an escape isn’t necessarily a bad thing. With everyday life stressors and the trauma that some carry around, I don’t blame anyone for needing an escape from life. We probably all need an escape from life sometimes." (Black) This seems like a valid argument, until you realize how unfortunately, relying on social media as a coping mechanism just leads to greater addiction and mental health issues. According to South China Morning Post, "When this becomes a way of scratching some psychological itch--loneliness, anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, boredom--if you are turning to some device or some experience to help you deal with that deficit, there's a good chance you're addicted,"(Hemnani) he says. Elongated periods of time online can also lead to people being further exposed to the things that worsen mental health like viewing damaging content. For example, according to a study done with Women's Health Weekly, "All three participant groups perceived sexualized images typically found on social media as exacerbating poor mental health among adolescent girls. Two interrelated themes emerged with participants describing the 'potential for comparison' and 'pressure to conform' they believed girls encounter on social media that influences their mental health." (“University”) All this just to show the fact that all these consequences can come from looking at social media, meaning there are healthier ways to cope with feelings that make one want to avoid their current life situations.

Social media should be mitigated by its users for their personal wellbeing. It can be assumed that because the company’s profit off of people's addictions, the companies themselves will not do anything. So, we must put it into the users hands to create better habits for our mental health. These habits could include creating designated spaces and times in our lives to go without media so that these addictive habits can be broken, and our quality of life can be returned, holding each other responsible for taking breaks from usage, tracking our usage, and any other methods that may work for individuals. Overall, we want healthier youth as we need a strong future. But our youths' lives are being tampered with. Unfortunately, the people in charge will never be able to do anything about it. But we, and our youth themselves, must put the work of creating healthier media consumption habits into our own hands. 

Black, Ashley, et al. "Social Butterflies: How Social Media Changed Teens' Lives Forever." Chicago Tribune, 26 Feb. 2016, p. 8. SIRS Issues Researcher, explore.proquest.com/sirsissuesresearcher/document/2266125018?accountid=37249.

Donaldson, Sarah. "Meta, TikTok Could Face Civil Liability If Held to Addict Children..." Wall Street Journal Online, June 2022. SIRS Issues Researcher, explore.proquest.com/sirsissuesresearcher/document/2686314736?accountid=37249. Accessed 20 Mar. 2023.

Hemnani, Ritu. "Why Do You Use Your Phone so Much?" South China Morning Post (Online), 19 Jan. 2021. SIRS Issues Researcher, explore.proquest.com/sirsissuesresearcher/document/2498693611?accountid=37249.

Miller, Jacob A. "Social Media Addiction: How Social Media Companies Function..." University Wire, 10 Feb. 2021. SIRS Issues Researcher, explore.proquest.com/sirsissuesresearcher/document/2501956369?accountid=37249.

"University of Western Australia Researchers Update Current Study Findings on Mental Health Diseases and Conditions (Sexualized Images on Social Media and Adolescent Girls' Mental Health: Qualitative Insights from Parents, School Support Service ...)." Women's Health Weekly, 26 Jan. 2023, p. 568. Gale In Context: Middle School, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A734154918/MSIC?u=mcps&sid=bookmark-MSIC&xid=5c7a68a5. Accessed 22 Mar. 2023.