What is social media you may ask? Social media can be defined as what facilitates or allows others to share information with each other. It allows people to stay in touch, find opportunities, reach out for help, raise awareness, etc. You probably know of the top 5 social media (pictured below). I am confident almost all of us use social media in one way or another. There are more than 4.7 billion social media users worldwide. It is no surprise social media has shaped our lives. 
Negative impacts of social media include:
According to a study done by the Cyberbullying Research Center, I found that 73% of teenagers who have been cyberbullied have experienced it on a social media platform. Christian Petrov posted a collection of studies that show us that nearly 34% of children in the US have experienced cyberbullying at least once. While 68% of those being harassed online have mental health issues. (50 alarming cyberbullying statistics to know in 2023) While researching this topic, I found that adolescents that experience harassment or cyberbullying are nearly 2 times more likely to attempt suicide. (Statistics — Megan Meier Foundation.)
Reviews and statistical analysis have consistently proven how social media negatively impacts body image. (Social Media, Body Image, and the Question of Causation: Meta-Analyses of Experimental and Longitudinal Evidence - ScienceDirect.) Influencers on social media have been seen editing and photoshopping their pictures to create a more socially accepted version of themselves. What these people don't realize is how it affects the body-image issues of its viewers. People don't realize just how edited these pictures can be, setting unrealistic beauty standards. When its viewers begin to compare themselves to the edited picture, it creates a feeling of dissatisfaction and low self-esteem with their bodies. This happens with both men and women. (Pederson, 2016)
People can develop unhealthy emotional connections to social media. For example, they allow themselves to constantly monitor social media, in fear of missing out. Another example is how they allow themselves to be disappointed, or their emotions to be controlled by simple posts on social media apps. A third example is the feeling of being disconnected from friends when not on social media. (Social Media Use Can Be Positive for Mental Health and Well-Being | News | Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.)
Even though there are many negative effects of social media, there are also many positives. Studies have shown that users who use social media as part of their everyday routine, such as an influencer, hit all three health-related outcomes; social well-being, positive mental health, and self-rated health in a positive way. A few other positive effects from social media are:
Social media affects others in many ways, good and bad. Social media can have these good and bad effects on teens or adults. It can bring people up or down. There are many different harmful side effects of the social media world such as depression and anxiety.
The effects that social media can have on a human being are that it can cause depression. Depression is a mood disorder that causes persistent sadness and loss of interest. Many things from social media can cause this examples being, cyberbullying or image. Depression can lead to more serious issues such as self-harm or even suicide.
Studies show that approximately 18% of youth report self-harming at least once (Monto, McRee, & Deryck, 2018). Another study also shows that the experience of bullying and cyberbullying is also associated with low self-esteem, depression, anxiety, family problems, academic difficulties, delinquency, school violence, and suicidal thoughts/attempts (Hinduja, 2018).
Another effect that social media can have on the human population is anxiety, Anxiety is intense, excessive, and persistent worry and fear about everyday situations. Ways that you can recognize anxiety from social media are “if I don’t look like this person then this” or “I don’t have the same opinion as these people”, most of the time people who are nervous about these little things are struggling with anxiety. A study is shown in 2015 by
youth and technology expert Amanda Lenhart reveals that some reasons anxiety is caused by social media could be any of the following:
- Seeing people posting about events to which you haven’t been invited
- Feeling pressure to post positive and attractive content about yourself
- Feeling pressure to get comments and likes on your posts
- Having someone post things about you that you cant control
Many other studies also show that adolescents all under the age of 17 found that the teens who used social networking sites more overall as well as at night experienced lower self-esteem, poor sleep, and higher levels of anxiety and depression and that if you more frequently are using social media then you have an increased risk of having anxiety.
“Statistics — Megan Meier Foundation.” Megan Meier Foundation, https://www.meganmeierfoundation.org/statistics. Accessed 31 Mar. 2023.
“50 Alarming Cyberbullying Statistics to Know in 2023.” Techjury, https://techjury.net/blog/cyberbullying-statistics/#gref. Accessed 31 Mar. 2023.
Patchin, Justin W. “New National Bullying and Cyberbullying Statistics.” Cyberbullying Research Center, http://www.facebook.com/cyberbullyingresearch, https://cyberbullying.org/new-national-bullying-cyberbullying-data. Accessed 31 Mar. 2023.
Pedersen, Traci. “Social Media and Body Image: What’s the Link?” Psych Central, Psych Central, 17 June 2016, https://psychcentral.com/health/how-the-media-affects-body-image#negative-effects.
“Social Media, Body Image, and the Question of Causation: Meta-Analyses of Experimental and Longitudinal Evidence - ScienceDirect.” ScienceDirect.Com | Science, Health and Medical Journals, Full Text Articles and Books., https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S174014452100125X?via%3Dihub. Accessed 31 Mar. 2023.
“Social Media Use Can Be Positive for Mental Health and Well-Being | News | Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.” News, 6 Jan. 2020, https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/features/social-media-positive-mental-health/#:~:text=Social%20media%20may%20provide%20individuals,in%2Dperson%20networks%20and%20interactions.
“Social Media and Teen Anxiety | Harvard Graduate School of Education.” Harvard Graduate School of Education, https://www.gse.harvard.edu/news/uk/17/12/social-media-and-teen-anxiety. Accessed 31 Mar. 2023.
“Does Social Media Cause Anxiety? | Hers.” Hers, https://www.forhers.com/blog/social-media-anxiety. Accessed 31 Mar. 2023.
“---.” News, 6 Jan. 2020, https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/features/social-media-positive-mental-health/.
Dollarhide, Maya. “Social Media: Definition, Effects, and List of Top Apps.” Investopedia, Investopedia, 2 Nov. 2010, https://www.investopedia.com/terms/s/social-media.asp.
“Support on Social Media : Lifeline.” Lifeline, https://988lifeline.org/help-someone-else/safety-and-support-on-social-media/. Accessed 31 Mar. 2023.
Hashem, Hawra. “13 Positive Effects of Social Media on Our Society Today.” Kubbco, https://www.facebook.com/kubbco, 1 Nov. 2021, https://www.kubbco.com/13-positive-effects-of-social-media-on-our-society-today/.
Donnagiuliani, and Christina Miller-Bellor. “Groups and Organizations.” Local to Global The Sociological Journey, https://pressbooks.pub/thesociologicaljourney/chapter/chapter-6-groups-and-organizations/.
A Study on Positive and Negative Effects of Social Media on Society. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Waseem-Akram-19/publication/323903323_A_Study_on_Positive_and_Negative_Effects_of_Social_Media_on_Society/links/5ab1c064a6fdcc1bc0bfefef/A-Study-on-Positive-and-Negative-Effects-of-Social-Media-on-Society.pdf.