Social Media and Mental Health

Social media has many benefits which will be highlighted in this article.  Previous articles on this blog have brought focus to the potential risks that come from social media use. Another potential risk is highlighted in the cycle below. This cycle demonstrates how social media can affect adolescent mental health.

Being a part of social media isn’t bad, but the potential for social media to turn into a downward spiral is real for adolescents.  FOMO, or the fear of missing out, has become a common acronym among social media users.  It often leads to a sense of vulnerability which leads one back to social media. Without awareness, this cycle can be repetitious in your child’s life. 

Benefits of Social Media 

Social media provides opportunities to make better connections with others. Human connection is something we all seek. Adolescents have contact with their peers at least 5 days a week through school, extracurricular activities, and their neighborhood friends. Social media has provided an opportunity to deepen and strengthen their friendships and opens the doors to new friends (O’Keefe, Clarke-Pearson, & Council, 2011). Along with deepening connections there are many benefits to using social media:

• Identity builder
• Social media provides a platform for teens to learn, practice, and rehearse skills and talents that build up and strengthen their identity (Valkenburg & Peter, 2011).
• Teens who feel they might not fit in can often find like-minded peers through social-media which then gives them purpose (Moreno, 2012).
• There are many educational opportunities through social media sites like YouTube and Pinterest, where teens can enhance a skill that may not be taught in at school.

• Confidence booster
• The way a friend reacts or offers feedback on social media can encourage a teens self-presentation which builds their confidence (Moreno, 2012).
• The anonymity of social media helps teens who are shy or anxious to have more interactions that aren’t face-to-face, thus providing a sense of belonging (Valkenburg & Peter, 2011).

• Gives a voice to those who may not have one
• Anonymity also helps teens who suffer from shame, isolation and distress (Whitlock, Powers, & Eckenrode, 2006). These teens are reaching out for acceptance and can often find it through social media venues.

Teens are being exposed to greater opportunities because of social media, but the potential for risk is always there.

What is FOMO? 

FOMO has been defined as “a psychological state in which people become anxious that others within their social spheres are leading much more interesting and socially desirable lives” (Buglass, Binder, Betts, & Underwood, 2017, p.248).  A study has shown that increased levels of FOMO lead to decreased levels of life satisfaction (Buglass, Binder, Betts, & Underwood, 2017, p. 249). So why are teens experiencing FOMO? This chart is the results of a survey done with 8^th graders on why they “lurk” or browse social media without posting:

Resource:  www.vocative.com - teen-social-media-fomo

Nearly 40% of 8^th graders browse social media to see if their friends are doing anything without them. They feel they are missing out on something. Social media connects them, but is this social connection putting unnecessary fear and worry on teens?  Based on the chart above, there is a level of anxiety that comes when a teen feels the need to see if their friends are hanging out without them or they are worried they will miss a friends post.  Feelings of loneliness comes when a teen feels the need to see how well-liked they are or if their posts got any comments or likes.  Depression can settle in when they think people are saying mean things about them or when they feel anxiety or loneliness. These are all symptoms of FOMO which lead to vulnerability (Manning, 2016).

Why Does Social Media Lead to Vulnerability?

Teenage years are already a vulnerable time without social media.  Imagine the first day of high school as a teen navigates this new experience. They might wonder where their friends from Junior High are, if they are wearing the right clothes, where to sit for lunch, who they might know in their new classes, and how to navigate their new campus.  Insecurities are intensified throughout adolescence. Social media can heighten these insecurities on a daily basis.  Do I look skinny enough in this picture?  Why wasn’t I invited to that party? How come no one is liking the picture I posted?  Why are they making that mean comment on my post? Social media leaves teens exposed to the possibility of being attacked or harmed, emotionally.

Depression, loneliness, and anxiety are real consequences of that fear of missing out because of social media. These three mental health struggles lead to comparison of other peers which leads them back to social media sites to fill the void caused by FOMO. Do you see the cycle that is potentially happening?

Studies have proven:     

• Increased signs of depression with extended use of social media (Pantic, 2014)
• Prolonged use of social media may jeopardize feelings of well-being (Andreassen et al., 2016)
• Teens fall into the trap of believing they are the only ones not living the happy-go-lucky lives portrayed on social media (Shensa, Sidani, Lin, Bowman, & Primack, 2016)
• Prolonged use of social media has been shown to cause mental stress and thoughts of suicide due to the high levels of psychological distress that is experienced. (Sampasa-Kanyinga & Lewis, 2015)
• Night time viewing of social media causes teens to get less sleep which in turn causes feelings of low self-esteem (Woods & Scott, 2016)
• Time spent browsing Facebook and other sites negatively affects a student’s overall grade point average (GPA) (Davey, 2016)

What now?

The FOMO cycle is played over and over again if teens are not careful.  Teens should not be left alone in their social media use.  This does not mean that parents have to be involved in all of their social media actions but they should monitor it.  Parents should be aware of how often their teen is using social media sites, who their children are interacting with on these sites and what sites they are on.  It is important for parents to be mindful of these symptoms so they will know if their child is experiencing FOMO.

Questions to consider

• Does my child avoid family time?
• Do they spend too much alone time in their bedroom?
• Does my child struggle without their smartphone?
• Does my child interact face-to-face with friends?
• How often is my child looking at social media?
• Do they view social media at night? Is it interrupting their sleep time?

Challenge  

Keep the discussion going with your child about their social media. Learn more about the friends they have made on these sites. Look for signs of loneliness, depression or anxiety. If you think your child is experiencing FOMO, change something in your home routine that will take their mind off of what they feel they are missing out on. Try filling the void with a family activity.

READER SURVEY

References:

Andreassen, C., Billieux, J., Griffiths, M. D., Kuss, D. J., Demetrovics, Z., Mazzoni, E., & Pallesen, S. (2016). The relationship between addictive use of social media and video games and symptoms of psychiatric disorders: A large-scale cross-sectional study. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors: Journal of The Society of Psychologists in Addictive Behaviors, 30(2), 252-262. doi:10.1037/adb0000160

Buglass, S. L., Binder, J. F., Betts, L. R., & Underwood, J. D. (2017). Motivators of online vulnerability: The impact of social network site use and FOMO. Computers in Human Behavior, 66, 248-255. doi:10.1016/j.chb.2016.09.055

Davey, G. C. (2016, December 5). Social media, loneliness, and anxiety in young people. Psychology Today. Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/why-we-worry/201612/social-media-loneliness-and-anxiety-in-young-people

Manning, A. (2016). Teens are crippled by social media-fueled FOMO. Retrieved November 03, 2017, from http://www.vocativ.com/329926/teen-social-media-fomo/index.html

Moreno, M. A., & Kolb, J. (2012). Social networking sites and adolescent health. Pediatric Clinics of North America, 59, 601-612.

O’Keeffe, G., Clarke-Pearson, K. & Council on Communications and Media (2011). The impact of social media on children, adolescents and families. Pediatrics, 124, 800-804.

Pantic, I. (2014). Online social networking and mental health. Cyberpsychology, Behavior & Social Networking, 17(10), 652-657. doi:10.1089/cyber.2014.0070

Sampasa-Kanyinga, H., & Lewis, R. F. (2015). Frequent use of social networking sites is associated with poor psychological functioning among children and adolescents. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 18(7), 380-385. doi:10.1089/cyber.2015.0055

Shensa, A., Sidani, J. E., Lin, L., Bowman, N., & Primack, B. A. (2016). Social media use

and perceived emotional support among US young adults. Journal of Community

Health, 41(3), 541-549. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10900-015-0128-8.

Valkenburg, P. M., & Peter, J. (2011). Online communication among adolescents: An integrated model of its attraction, opportunities, and risks. Journal of Adolescent Health, 48, 121-127

Whitlock, J. L., Powers, J. P., & Eckenrode, J. E. (2006). The virtual cutting edge: Adolescent self-injury and the Internet. Developmental Psychology,
42, 407-417.

Woods, H. C., & Scott, H. (2016). #Sleepyteens: Social media use in adolescence is associated with poor sleep quality, anxiety, depression and low self-esteem. Journal of Adolescence, 51, 41-49. doi:10.1016/j.adolescence.2016.05.008