Effects of Time Spent on Social Media on Mental Health

Introduction
In the 21 st century, social media use is an ever-increasing phenomenon. Seven in every
ten people in the United States use social media to connect with their peers, friends, and to
receive and share information and entertaining content. Study shows that most young people
pervasively and extensively use social media for a variety of reasons such as for entertainment
purposes, for social enhancement, for identity formation, and to maintain an interpersonal
connection. Such uses appear to provide a solution and to compensate for the largely diminishing
face-to-face interactions. However, there are economic, social, and health results for the
extensive use of social media. First, people manage to bridge social distance and time and
maintain connections with people who are far away. Individuals who are members of a social
network have access to information and other resources that are not accessed by people who lack
a social network. Thus, social media platforms have been beneficial. However, the challenge has
been balancing the time spent online on virtual networks, and that spent offline. I chose my topic
to be “Effects of time spent on Social Media” because I wanted to establish the impact that it has
on the mental wellbeing of users. Past research has shown that social media use could be
addictive and affect the wellbeing of a person. This research will look into this and seek to

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establish the connection between social media use and an individual’s mental wellbeing. The
draft question for the research is, “Does time spent on social media influence mental health?”
Abstract
In the recent past, social media sites have caused significant changes in the manner in
which individuals interact and connect with each other. Several studies have established that
prolonged stay on different social media sites could cause mental health-related complications
such as anxiety and depression. Further, there are claims that social media use might be linked to
with low esteem problems among adolescents and children who get exposed to these sites when
still young. However, some studies have conflicted with these findings and said that using online
platforms such a Snapchat and Twitter actually has a positive effect on the self-esteem of an
individual. The relationship between social media use and mental health remains highly debated
and controversial. This research will establish the impact that spending time online has on the
mental wellbeing of the user, by seeking to find out whether it in any way causes depressive
symptoms, internet addiction, or even changes in a person’s self-esteem. The main claim is that
spending a significant amount of time on different social networking sites has negative
consequences on the mental wellbeing of an individual. I will conduct qualitative research to
seek and find out which of the past studies make a correct conclusion on the connection between
browsing different social networking sites and the mental wellbeing of the individual. Some of
the methods that will be used in the research include interviews and content analysis of textual
and visual materials. Also, I will do a literature review to establish the findings of different
studies. I will use evidence from research conducted in the last decade. Since time is a factor in
this research, the only studies that will be considered are those whose research was carried out
not more than ten years ago.

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Annotated Bibliography
Buckley, Cami. “Does Time Spent On Social Media Impact Mental Health? New Study Shows
Screen Time Isn’t The Problem”. Medicalxpress.Com, 2019,
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2019-10-spent-social-media-impact-mental.html.
Buckley states that for eight years now, the amount of time that young people spend on
different online sites has risen by 62.5 percent, and growth is continuing. Despite these statistics,
the author states that there is no evidence that the time that is spent by these individuals on social
media directly causes depression or anxiety. The findings were from a study conducted for eight
years. The article further states that depression or anxiety among teenagers cannot be attributed
to a single stressor such as social media messages. The article asserts that society should move
away the time that one is on the screen and dig deeper into the content and context that surrounds
the usage of social media. The author suggests being active online, limiting social media usage
at least one hour before one sleeps, and being intentional on how to use social media as some of
the ways that people can benefit from using social media. The article brings in a new perspective
into the research and introduces the idea of intentional social media use.
Frison, Eline, and Steven Eggermont. “Exploring the relationships between different types of
Facebook use, perceived online social support, and adolescents’ depressed mood.” Social
Science Computer Review 34.2 (2016): 153-171.
The use of social networking sites in the 21 st century keeps increasing. Frison and Steven
explore the emotional connections that social media users have and the effects that could be
linked to such connections. The study conducted captures how the users of social media sites
integrate the habit into their social routines and how they get emotionally connected to the sites.

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Unlike most studies that look at the undesirable impact of online sites on its users by looking at
the duration and frequency of use, Frison and Steven had a new approach to their study. Based
on their findings, there are strongly negative and positive associations of emotional connection
and routine use with the health outcomes of individuals. The results are different among different
racial and ethnic groups and across socioeconomic population groups. The article will be useful
in this research as it introduces a new perspective on how social media usage could affect an
individual.
Miller, Caroline. “Does Social Media Cause Depression? | Child Mind Institute”. Child Mind
Institute, 2020, https://childmind.org/article/is-social-media-use-causing-depression/.
Miller explores the indirect ways through which social media affects the mental
wellbeing of an individual. Prolonged duration on social media cause sleep deprivation, and this
is a contributing factor to depression and anxiety among teenagers. Miller quotes research that
shows that 60 % of young people use their phones in the last sixty minutes before going to bed.
The electronic screens have a blue light, which interferes with sleep patterns. Further, the author
states that scrolling on social media does not necessarily have a relaxation effect and could be a
source of stress. The article supports the main claim of the research. It shows how social media
could have indirect impacts on a person’s mental wellbeing even without the user’s knowledge. It
is thus a valuable resource in this research.
Keles, Betul, Niall McCrae, and Annmarie Grealish. “A systematic review: the influence of
social media on depression, anxiety, and psychological distress in
adolescents.” International Journal of Adolescence and Youth 25.1 (2020): 79-93.

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Keles, McCrae, & Grealish explore how social media is a part of people’s everyday lives,
yet still be blamed for having negative impacts on their mental health. They systematically
synthesize evidence on the impact that social networking sites have on anxiety, sadness, and
mental distress, specifically among young people. The findings of the study were categorized
into four domains, among them time spent, specific activity, addiction, and investment. All four
domains showed a correlation between psychological distress, depression, and anxiety. However,
the cross-sectional design used, measures, and sampling techniques caused some methodological
limitations to the findings of this research. The authors recommended the use of longitudinal
cohort studies and qualitative inquiry in future research. The article is valuable in this research as
it shows why a qualitative inquiry should be made. Based on the limitations of the study, this
research will use alternative methods during the study.
Mir, Elina, and Caroline Novas. “Social Media and Adolescents’ and Young Adults’ Mental
Health.” National Center for Health Research 17 (2018).
The article explores the question, ‘Is social media tied to mental health?’. The authors
explain that in 2016, young adults had the highest occurrence of mental-related illness. 22.1
percent of people aged 18-25 suffered mental health-related issues. The high number is a=linked
to the high number of teens who have access to smartphones, and can thus access different social
media platforms such as Facebook and Snapchat. Further, the article states that Facebook
depression is common in children and is highly associated to social media use. Additionally, the
risk of suffering from mental health-related complications increases with two or more hours
spent online. The article shows that social media usage is risky for one’s mental wellbeing. It
supports the main claim in the research.

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Pantic, Igor. “Online social networking and mental health.” Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and
Social Networking 17.10 (2014): 652-657.
Pantic’s article explores the effect of online social networking sites (SNS) on mental
health. The author states that it is not clear on whether the changes caused by SNS affect the
normal elements of human behavior or even whether it is linked to psychiatric disorders. The
article compares conflicting studies and their findings. There are studies that have indicated that
prolonged use of SNSs could be related to depressive symptoms. Additionally, some scholars
have indicated that engaging in SNS activities for a long time has been linked to low self-esteem
in children and adolescents. However, the article identifies other studies that have shown that the
use of SNSs has been associated with a positive impact on one’s self-esteem. The article is a
useful resource in this research as it gives a clear comparison of how studies conflict, and it is
easy to pick out on areas that still require future research.
Contribution
This project is important to me because, for a long time, I have been wondering whether I
spend too much time on social media, and what that could mean to my mental health. Thus, the
findings of this research will affect me, and young people who are struggling with controversial
findings. Research done on this topic has been conflicting. Some researchers hold that social
media use is dangerous to the mental wellbeing of children and adolescents. Other authors state
that social media use has been linked to depressive symptoms and anxiety. As such, it is not
exactly clear on whether there is a link between time spent online and mental health issues.
Further, this topic is interesting because social media is a powerful tool. It is one of the best
innovations in the history of humankind and one of the tools that has helped turn the world into a
global village. Social media sites have had a significant impact on human communication and

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interaction. It has helped enhance social interactions, international relations, and even helped
grow businesses. People who understand the features or characteristics of their target audience
have been in a position to tailor messages that resonate with their audience in the appropriate
way. Information is readily available and easily accessible. The benefits that come with social
media use are many. Thus, this topic is interesting because a tool that has changed lives could as
well be ruining the mental health of others. This research seeks to make a new contribution to the
already existing knowledge by seeking to clarify and resolve the conflict on the exact effects that
spending time on social media has on mental health. The research will show how safe the online
networking spaces are for the mental health of users.

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Works Cited

Buckley, Cami. “Does Time Spent On Social Media Impact Mental Health? New Study Shows
Screen Time Isn’t The Problem”. Medicalxpress.Com, 2019,
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2019-10-spent-social-media-impact-mental.html.
Frison, Eline, and Steven Eggermont. “Exploring the relationships between different types of
Facebook use, perceived online social support, and adolescents’ depressed mood.” Social
Science Computer Review 34.2 (2016): 153-171.
Keles, Betul, Niall McCrae, and Annmarie Grealish. “A systematic review: the influence of
social media on depression, anxiety and psychological distress in
adolescents.” International Journal of Adolescence and Youth 25.1 (2020): 79-93.
Miller, Caroline. “Does Social Media Cause Depression? | Child Mind Institute”. Child Mind
Institute, 2020, https://childmind.org/article/is-social-media-use-causing-depression/
Mir, Elina, and Caroline Novas. “Social Media and Adolescents’ and Young Adults’ Mental
Health.” National Center for Health Research 17 (2018).
Pantic, Igor. “Online social networking and mental health.” Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and
Social Networking 17.10 (2014): 652-657.