Social Media and its Effects On Children’s Psychology

Social Media and its Effects On Children’s Psychology

Paper Topic: Social Media and its Effects On Children’s Psychology

Introduction Possible ideas for the introduction

There has been an increase in penetration of technology within the current society which has laid an effective platform for an increase in social media use within the modern societies, including among children. According to Statista, some of the most widely used social media platforms used by children include Instagram, snapchat, Facebook, and Twitter (Statista, 2022). However, the increase in social media use is associated with several adverse impacts on children including development of psychiatric disorders which are carried on to adolescence (Cataldo et al., 2021). This paper analyzes some of the psychiatric disorders associated with use of social media among children.

Thesis Statement: Social media has adverse impacts with on the psychology of children which can affect their mental wellbeing and cognitive development.

Main Point: Social media use is associated with depressive symptoms and mood disorders

Examples/Details/Explanations:

a. Passive use of social media where by one browses through comments and news is associated with aggravated depressive symptoms since it makes children experience a reduced sense of belonging (Cataldo et al., 2021).

b. Among younger people, social media use is commonly associated with increased feeling of emotional loneliness (Bonkaksen et al., 2021).

c. Loneliness is associated with an increased risk of depression (Wang et al., 2021).

Main Point: Social media use among children is also associated with increased risks of anxiety.

Examples/Details/Explanations:

a. Cyberbullying is commonly associated with an increased risk of developing anxiety and psychological distress.

b. Time spent on social media was directly correlated with the likelihood of developing anxiety and other psychological challenges (Keles et al., 2019).

c. Increased use of social media among children is associated with an increase in anxiety as a result of negative experiences such as an increased propensity for comparison among children.

Main Point: Too much screen time causes sleep issues like insomnia.

Examples/Details/Explanations:

a. According to Pirdehghan et al. (2021), social media use is linked with sleep disturbance among adolescents.

b. Sleep disturbance is a precursor of most psychological disorders including depression and anxiety disorders (Franceschini et al., 2020).

c. Thus, sleep disturbance is closely associated with an increased risk of poor mental health among children and adolescents by acting as a gateway for other psychological disorders.

Conclusion Reworded Thesis

i) Social media use is associated with adverse psychological impacts on children

ii) Common psychological impacts include depression, anxiety, and loneliness.

iii) Psychological issues perpetrated by adverse online experiences including bullying.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

References

Bonsaksen, T., Ruffolo, M., Leung, J., Price, D., Thygesen, H., Schoultz, M., & Geirdal, A. Ø. (2021). Loneliness and its association with social media use during the COVID-19 outbreak. Social Media + Society, 7(3), 205630512110338. https://doi.org/10.1177/20563051211033821

Franceschini, C., Musetti, A., Zenesini, C., Palagini, L., Pelosi, A., Quattropani, M. C., Lenzo, V., Freda, M. F., Lemmo, D., Vegni, E., Borghi, L., Saita, E., Cattivelli, R., De Gennaro, L., Plazzi, G., Riemann, D., & Castelnuovo, G. (2020). Poor quality of sleep and its consequences on mental health during COVID-19 lockdown in Italy. https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/ah6j3

Keles, B., McCrae, N., & Grealish, A. (2019). A systematic review: The influence of social media on depression, anxiety and psychological distress in adolescents. International Journal of Adolescence and Youth, 25(1), 79-93. https://doi.org/10.1080/02673843.2019.1590851

Pirdehghan, A., Khezmeh, E., & Panahi, S. (2021). Social media use and sleep disturbance among adolescents: A cross-sectional study. Iranian Journal of Psychiatry. https://doi.org/10.18502/ijps.v16i2.5814

Statista Research Deaprtment. (2021). Social media usage among children UK 2019. Statista. https://www.statista.com/statistics/415138/social-media-usage-among-children-uk/

Wang, P., Wang, J., Yan, Y., Si, Y., Zhan, X., & Tian, Y. (2021). Relationship between loneliness and depression among Chinese junior high school students: The serial mediating roles of internet gaming disorder, social network use, and generalized pathological internet use. Frontiers in Psychology, 11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.529665