Social media was an invention that changed the way of sharing, communicating, and, in a general sense, touching base. Indeed, on the one hand, it has brought along many advantages, but, in turn, the pervasive use raised severe concerns about mental health and, more particularly, in children and adolescents. Based on recent findings from various studies, the use of social media plays a heavy role in psychiatric disorders, and it worsens the symptoms of depression in the users.
The links with the worsening of mental health problems caused by the use of social media are becoming more precise and more transparent. Throuvala et al. (2021) identified the various issues and online harms of concern resulting from the use of social media and placed them in a continuum of severity. Their findings brought forth the psychological risks, anxiety, depression, and even low self-esteem with a louder note in vulnerable populations such as youth.
Further, Cataldo et al. (2021) further elaborated on the wide-ranging linkage of psychiatric disorders that emerged among children and adolescents with the utilization of social media. Analysis of the researchers should, therefore, bear a worrisome relationship between prolonged engagement with social media and the onset of mental problems, thus suggesting the direct impact on the well-being of the user during the psychological stage.
As much as to explain that the use of social media is but a symptom of deeper psychological problems, Hartanto et al. (2021) provide a reverse causation perspective. This, the researchers said, further suggests that the use of social media may breed more depressive symptoms, reversing the notion that people with depressive symptoms are more apt to use social media. The findings provide support to the idea that social media actively contributes to the worsening of mental health and that it is achieved by mechanisms such as social comparison or negative interaction.
Hence, the synthesis of ideas from the provided references enlightens the pattern: social media use is not benign but a potent factor in mental health issues. The qualitative analysis by Throuvala et al. contributes to the knowledge base about the perception of the psychological stakes present during interaction on social media. This is further emphasized in the review of Cataldo et al., which explicitly relates the use of social media to the emergence of psychiatric disorders, pointing at its widespread and quite underestimated influence on the mental health of young users.
The most enlightening paper is on reverse causation by Hartanto et al., which is an outright contradiction to the present narrative of social media usage about depression as a byproduct of existing depressive states. Instead, their findings suggest that the use of social media is a mechanism of depression in and of itself, with it implicating the same as a significant factor in the mental health crisis facing adolescents and young adults.
In summary, the evidence presented by Throuvala et al. (2021), Cataldo et al. (2021), and Hartanto et al. (2021) collectively supports that the use of social media is associated with the negative effect on mental health, which in turn leads to the onset and exacerbation of psychiatric disorders and depressive symptoms. Today, society deals with the impacts that digital technology brings to wellness, and this reflection will look into the psychological costs attached to the use of social media. Need to be taken: A multi-dimensional strategy of policy changes, digital literacy educational programs, and judiciously planned interventions so that social media’s negative impact on mental health can be curbed.
References
Cataldo, I., Lepri, B., Neoh, M. J. Y., & Esposito, G. (2021). Social media usage and development of psychiatric disorders in childhood and adolescence: a review. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 11, 508595.
Hartanto, A., Quek, F. Y., Tng, G. Y., & Yong, J. C. (2021). Does social media use increase depressive symptoms? A reverse causation perspective. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 12, 641934.
Throuvala, M. A., Griffiths, M. D., Rennoldson, M., & Kuss, D. J. (2021). Perceived challenges and online harms from social media use on a severity continuum: a qualitative psychological stakeholder perspective. International journal of environmental research and public health, 18(6), 3227.
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