Lauren Brown

Professor Campbell

UWRT 1104

8 November 2018

Like Over Life: How Social Media Affects Mental Health

From Friday night lights to opening a college acceptance letter, these are the things that

teenage students look forward towards in the four short years that they spend in high school.

Unfortunately, not all students get to endure these precious memories. Sadie Riggs was a victim

of a silent but deadly killer: social media. The 15-year-old hung herself after being bullied in the

halls of her school and on social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram. (Chuck,

2017) Riggs’s Aunt and caregiver Sarah Smith, states that she went to the police, the school, and

even contacted Instagram headquarters, however no one did anything to help her niece. (Chuck,

2017) Why do we as a society give victim’s the attention they deserve after they have taken their

life? Is it because we do not know how to handle situations as such, or do we simply disregard

mental health as a legitimate issue?

Society Progress with Mental Health

For so long, mental health was discarded as a topic not to be discussed. In today’s times,

more people are becoming aware of their own personal health and of other’s around them. Where

we lack in progressing the mental health movement is disbarring the myths. For instance, 24

percent of individuals between the ages of 18 and 24 believe that a person with a mental illness is

dangerous. Less than half believe that someone with a mental illness can be successful at a job,

and only 27 percent believe that a person with mental illness can recover. (“Mental Health”,

2008) According to the federal government website youth.gov, mental health is defined as “a
state of successful performance of mental function, resulting in productive activities, fulfilling

relationships with other people, and the ability to adapt to change and to cope with adversity.”

Suicide in the third leading cause of death for youth between ages 10 and 24 and according to

youth.gov, 13.8 percent of these teens reported that they had seriously considered attempting

suicide, while 10.9 percent had made a plan for how they would attempt suicide. (“Mental

Health”, 2008) One of the most important ways to prevent another young life from ending is to

know the warning signs. Youth.gov provides an excellent list of signs and behaviors that

everyone should be aware of. These include poor grades in school, severe anxiety, frequent

physical complaints, sever mood swings, depression, and many more. What a Difference a

Friend Makes is an anti-discrimination campaign that the Substance Abuse and Mental Health

Services Administration has launched. They promote that recovering from a mental illness is

more likely in a society that is accepting and that provides education on mental illness. (“Mental

Health”, 2008) School-based mental health is becoming more prominent in the lives of students.

Youth.gov explains how the Now is the Time plan trains school teachers in early detection and

response to mental illness. The benefits on this program have shown to improve schoolwide

discipline rates, increase the graduation rates, and help create a positive school environment. The

National Alliance on Mental Health list critical ways to end the mental health stigma. These

include talk openly about mental health, educate yourself and other, encourage equality between

physical and mental illness, and choose empowerment over shame.

To Have or Not to Have

Dr. Victor Schwartz who is a chief medical officer at the JED Foundation states that our

smartphones are a means of suicide promotion instead of suicide prevention. (Chuck, 2017)

There is a world full of knowledge awaiting at the tips of a young child’s fingertips and having
access to all kinds of information is deadly. This idea raises questions about whether it is

favorable for young teenagers to have smartphones. Dr. Delaney Ruston, a primary care

physician, explored the use of smartphones and her research concluded that holding out on

giving a child a smartphone is not always the best answer. (Chuck, 2017) Ruston explains that

during middle school ages, phones are the dominant source of interaction, and a kid can feel very

isolated by not being a part of that online world. (Chuck, 2017) Growing up, I did not have a

cellphone until seventh grade. I often felt left out of inside jokes, and friend groups due to the

fact that no one could communicate with me outside of the school walls. My parents felt that

having a cellphone during middle school was “too young” because it would lead to exposure to

inappropriate things. Although I understand that my parents were trying to protect me, I feel that

I missed out on interacting with certain friend groups because of the lack of communication. Dr.

Schwartz reflects that there are ways to limit the effects of negative cellphone usage without

impairing a child’s social wellbeing. For instance, setting a digital curfew and putting power cord

in a separate room so that teens do not have the option of staying up online all night. Bark, an

online application, uses artificial intelligence to monitor digital communications and flag parents

of any possible dangers. (Chuck, 2017)

How Social Media is Associated with Psychiatric Disorders.

Watching my friends struggle with their self-esteem and depression throughout high

school was a struggle. The key issue was experiencing them comparing themselves to other girls

in our class and question why their peer’s life appeared better than theirs. I began to wonder why

individuals seek out others and compare their lives side by side and what could be gain by

obsessing other others? According to Igor Pantic, researchers have found a link between being an

active user of social media and psychiatric disorders such as depression, anxiety, and low self-
esteem. In one of the first research studies, it was concluded that the increased time spent online

has a direct correlation to the decline in communication with family members and social circle

which lead to increased feelings of depression and loneliness. (Pantic, 2014) Pantic tells that one

of the main reasons time spent on social networking sites is associated with depressive symptoms

is that it often leads to wrong impressions of other site users. For instance, a research study

conducted on 425 undergraduate students stated that they felt other users on Facebook appeared

happier. (Pantic, 2014) The results of this behavior showed that individuals who suffered with

low self-esteem tend to be more active online and had more self-promoting content on their

profile pages. (Pantic, 2014) We often associate addiction with drugs, alcohol, and smoking.

However, does society consider social networking as a form of addiction? One of the main

symptoms of addiction is neglect. We often associate this with choosing drugs over a family

member or buying beer instead of dinner for a family. The same concept is found in individuals

who are addicted to their social media platforms. As reported by Pantic, those who have a mental

preoccupation of social networking sites, result in neglecting family and offline friends. It may

not seem as simple as it sounds, but there are steps implemented to wean overused individuals

off of social media. According to Rob Marvin from the PC Magazine, the first step is to change

the notification setting to off. Seeing the notifications on a certain social media app are visual

cues to check on them. Without the visual cues, there is no reason to open an application. The

Center for Humane Technology gives input into using the grayscale instead of the traditional

color scheme. (Marvin, 2018) It is stated that the colorful icons reward our brains every time the

phone is unlock. Converting to the grayscale teaches the brain to check for notifications less

often. (Marvin, 2018)

Can Social Media Be Used as a Positive Outlet?

 Time and time again, we have been presented with evidence for why social media is

negatively impacting the lives of teenagers and how it can be stopped. As stated in the article by

Taylor Bennett in Thrive Works, social media can have positive effects on mental health.

Bennett argues that social media allows individuals to stay connected with distant friends and

family, and it can be used to promote positive ideas. Robyn Treyvaud, an expert in online safety

and digital citizenship speaks on the influence social media has on the wellbeing on teenagers.

She states that 68 percent of teenagers claim that social media provides them with support during

difficult times and 46 percent of teenage girls agree that social media empowers them to speak

out. Treyvaud also writes about how social media offers educational benefits and exposure to

diversity. For instance, she claims that teenagers use social media platforms to complete

assignments and it provides students with a place to share ideas, work on task, and upload

completed work to received feedback. (Treyvaud, 2017) Importantly, YouTube help teenagers

to develop various skills. These skills include cooking, fixing household items, or learning how

to speak other languages. YouTube also acts as an outlet for teenagers to become inform of

certain contemporary issues. (Treyvaud, 2017) Treyvaud voices that social media allows and

encourages teens to connect with other teenagers that differ in culture, language, and ethnic.

Taking a Look at Our Cultural Differences

Perhaps if we examine other countries and how they handle mental health, we could

better ourselves as a society. Looking at Chile’s health reform policy, it includes a National

Depression Treatment Program. This program allows for psychologist and practitioners to work

together to provide therapy and interventions. (Wainberg 2017) Luxembourg teaches teens to

discover their own strengths which effectively creates happier and more productive citizens.

(Rodriguez-Cayro, 2018) Germany seeks to work with the community. They provide mentally ill
individuals with financial support, access to healthcare services, and help find work. (Rodriguez-

Cayro, 2018) Finally, Norway provides psychiatric casualty clinics. These clinics are emergency

rooms for people with mental health issues so that they can seek immediate help. (Rodriguez-

Cayro, 2018)

As citizens of the United States of America, we should not be afraid to talk about mental

health. Our lack of progress has left individuals in a vulnerable place and childless parents. It is

time to break the stigma that mental illness is not real and reach out to those who are suffering.

More importantly, as a country we should reflect on how our obsessive usage of social media is

overtaking our lives and what we can do to break the cycle.

 Work Cited

Bennett, Taylor. “Contrary to Popular Belief, Social Media Can Have Positive Effects on Our

Mental Health”. ThriveWorks, 13 December 2017, https://thriveworks.com/blog/social-

media-positive-effects-mental-health/. Accessed 5 November 2018.

Chuck, Elizabeth. “Is Social Media Contributing to Rising Teen Suicide Rate?” NBCUniversal

News Group, 22 Oct. 2017, 6:01 am , www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/social-media-

contributing-rising-teen-suicide-rate-n812426. Accessed 23 Oct. 2018

Greenstein, Lauren. “9 Ways to Fight Mental Health Stigma”. National Alliance on Mental

Health, 11 October 2017, https://www.nami.org/Blogs/NAMI-Blog/October-2017/9-

Ways-to-Fight-Mental-Health-Stigma. Accessed 8 November 2018.

Marvin, Rob. “How to Wean Yourself Off Smartphones and Social Media.” PCMAG, 25 Sept.

2018, www.pcmag.com/feature/360420/how-to-wean-yourself-off-smartphones-and-

social-media/8. Accessed 5 November 2018.

“Mental Health.” Youth Topics | Youth.gov, Interagency Working Group on Youth Programs, 7

Feb. 2008, youth.gov/youth-topics. Accessed 23 Oct. 2018

Pantic, Igor. “Online Social Networking and Mental Health.” Cyberpsychology, Behavior and

Social Networking, Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., 1 Oct. 2014,

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4183915/. Accessed. 23 Oct. 2018.

Rodriguez-Cayro, Kyli. “This Is How 9 Countries Worldwide Treat Mental Health

Issues.” Bustle, 24 Aug. 2018, www.bustle.com/p/what-does-mental-health-care-look-

like-abroad-this-is-how-9-countries-treat-mental-illness-2885010. Accessed 5 November

2018.

Treyvaud, Robin. “The Positive Effects of Social Media on Teenagers.” Family Insights, 23

November 2017, https://familyinsights.net/advice/positive-effects-of-social-media-on-

teenagers/. Accessed 8 November 2018.

Wainberg, Milton L., et al. “Challenges and Opportunities in Global Mental Health: a Research-

to-Practice Perspective.” Current Psychiatry Reports, U.S. National Library of Medicine,

May 2017, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5553319/. Accessed 5 November

2018.