The Impact of Addictive Social Media on Student Mental Health

Abstract

First Draft (Brittany) Research Question: Impact of online social network on student’s mental heath Introduction The increasing online social networking is attributed to the advancing technology. Everyone wish to be up-to-date when it comes to the growing technological advances thus students tend to remain glued to social networking platforms for interactions, communication and research. Unfortunately, other that gaining the benefits associate with the growing technology, they also become victims of the negativities associated with addictions. Online social networking is addictive and just like any other form of addiction; student’s mental stability becomes compromised. In this literature review, the need to examine the seek answers on the how online social networking affect mental health will shed light on whether to embrace continued use of this technology or impose measures to ensure controls. To this effect, this literature review will use arguments from different credible scholar to examine how online social network impact student’s mental health and offer directives on way forward. The three concepts that will guide the flow of this study include: analysis of how and why social networking becomes addictive, the detrimental consequences of social networking on mental health and lastly need to argue social networking from the positive side of mental stability. The first concept understands how and why social networking becomes addictive. In almost all the four sources, it is open that online social networking exposes youths to its unethical use to some extent. Social networking addiction is the act of expressing unlimited controls over the media use making the user enslaved to any form of online platform. While addressing this issue, Schønning et al. (2020) argued that as much as social networking offer a certain level of pleasure and satisfaction to the users, it overreliance triggers an addictive tendency. Unfortunately, the young generation is the most vulnerable due to its inabilities to enforce control measures while engaging with online social networks. Students in this case proves the most affected as many assumes the role that the gained freedom should play in determining their well-being having let go to colleges and universities thus not under the close watch of their parents and guardians. Overreliance on online social networking ends up causing more harm than good to these freed students which with no controls adversely affect even their academic performance and their general well-being in the long-run (Deepa et al., 2020). Unfortunately, such addictions make the youths lack concentration in other productive things in life and on the contrary, engage uncontrollably on media during most of their times. Addictions lead to social isolations, anxiety, and restlessness among other negative behaviors and experiences which in the long run can have adverse effects on such youths. While emphasizing on the extent of addictive effect that online social networking has on students/youths, Deepa et al. (2020) confirmed that most students cannot survive without glancing on their phones, laptops among other forms of devices. Such overreliance on online social networking without moderation triggers addictions. Unfortunately, with addiction, the students mind becomes unable to function in a normal way as always anxious about social network updates which in the long-run leads to stress or anxiety disorders hampering their mental well-being. To this effect, one can conclude that students and adolescents mental health proves sensitive as with Amygdale development, their potentials to make logical decisions proves a challenge. For such a reason, engaging in social networks proves a threat as many have limited ability to control how they use them thus endangering their mental well being and general life wellness in the long-run due to the media use addictive nature. The other concept is the detrimental consequences of social networking on mental health. While analyzing mental health in students, Schønning et al. (2020) argued that there are lesser discrepancies in the nature of these effects thus any user becomes vulnerable to the adverse effects. While it is open that technology enhances smooth approach to many life demands, it also becomes a threat when one becomes so used to it. Since student feel at peace and ease while enjoying their freedom and independence during their college or university life away from parents, engaging in uncontrollable technologically-driven platform proves a danger than being dependant to parent authority. Sadness, anxiety among other pressures that align with online social networking do more damage to these student’s mind thus the need to reconsider interventions that can bring the best out of these growing minds. Just as argued by (Schønning et al. (2020), Gupta et al. (2022) also confirms the adverse effects that online social networking has on youths and adolescents mental health. These authors’ starts by acknowledging that ethical social media use can have positive effects on users health but since youths have limited ability to control their media use, the outcome tends to be contrary to what would be expected. These authors confirm that teenagers understanding of social media as a body of wisdom or a discourse to air their opinion...