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Social Media’s Impact on Adolescent Mental Health
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Potential Research Topic
Social Media’s Impact on Adolescent Mental Health
My capstone project focuses on how the use of social media has affected the mental health of adolescents, causing anxiety and depression. This is a topic that I chose because, through studying psychology, there has been an increased amount of concern as to how social media influences mental health, particularly in adolescents, who constitute one of the most vulnerable populations. According to Kaur et al. (2022), constant engagement with social media may create huge effects on the mentality of adolescents, further increasing the levels of anxiety and depression due to online comparisons, cyberbullying, and pressures to keep up appearances online. There is considerable interest in more clearly understanding this relationship to inform mental health interventions and policies.
Target Audience
My target audience is adolescents, parents, and educators. Adolescents need to be more educated about the potential mental health effects related to excessive social media use. Parents and educators seek means for detecting signs of anxiety and depression linked to social media use and methods to respond to this issue. This audience needs research to give them meaningful insights into early warning signs and protection measures for young people.
Stakeholders
Key stakeholders are mental health professionals, who benefit from more tailored interventions; companies themselves, in that they can implement safety measures; and even policymakers, who can legislate measures that protect teens’ online experiences. Understanding these perspectives gives a comprehensive approach to the mental health implications of using social media.
Research Questions
1. Does long-term exposure to social media affect anxiety and depression among adolescents?
2. To what extent does social media in teenagers create self-esteem or body image?
3. What steps may parents and teachers take to reduce the adverse effects of social media on the mental health of adolescents?
Research Problem
The knowledge gap that I will try to fill is the specific mechanisms through which social media contributes to anxiety and depression in adolescents. While studies about correlations were conducted, there was a greater need to understand how the nuances of the effects of specific activities on social media, like scrolling or posting, cause changes in mental health.
References
Kaur, S., Kaur, K., & Verma, R. (2022). Impact of social media on mental health of adolescents. Journal of Pharmaceutical Negative Results, 779-783. https://pnrjournal.com/index.php/home/article/download/2441/2090