Blog#6: Is Social Media Addiction a Cause or Effect among Teens
The key to solving any problem is to understand its causes and why it is happening. Why are teens increasingly using social media so frequently, why do they prefer social media over their interest in extracurricular activities, or what causes social media addiction. Research shows that teenagers’ use of social media goes hand in hand with increased teen depression. One of the biggest questions researchers are facing is weather social media causes depression, anxiety, and other mental health issues or are these issues causing social media addiction.
“Most teens have difficulty regulating and expressing emotions. Kids have a huge susceptibility to peer pressure. Therefore, this puts them at risk for experiencing or exacerbating mental health issues on social media sites.” Wilson says. Especially vulnerable are children who often feel lonely and unhappy. In addition, for a sense of escape and interaction, adolescents search for online experiences. Since, the relief is short lived this makes disorders such as ADHD, teen depression, oppositional defiant disorder, and teen anxiety worse. Combatting this issue has become increasingly difficult with the pandemic promoting excessive use of social media.
