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Brianna Cedillo

Mrs. Reed

ENGL- 1301-40003 Composition I

17 November 2023

The Effects of Social Media

The U.S. Surgeon General is issuing a call for urgent action by policymakers, technology

companies, and researchers. Vivek Murthy, the 19th and 21st Surgeon General of the United

States, claims that children are too often exposed to explicit content on social media, “ranging

from violent and sexual content, to bullying and harassment.” Murthy believes that adolescents

are being gravely impacted and “social media use is compromising their sleep” and one on one

time with loved ones around them (hhs.gov). Social media is used by 95% of young people,

although researchers show how social media offers some benefits, there are some indicators that

show the harmful impact social media has on adolescents (hhs.gov). Parents must stand against

social media and the negative impact it has on their children’s mental health, time management,

and academic performance.

Worried parents are in distress and believe that social media is impacting their children’s

mental health in harmful ways. Dr. V. Krishna Priya, a professor at Vels Institute of Science

Technology and Advanced Studies, mentions how Patel, et al. claims that online networking is

creating problems in adolescents like, “uneasiness, sorrow, and dietary issues” (3796). She then

points out how specialists have recently connected social media to, “mental health disorders

which include depression and anxiety” (Dr. Priya, et al.). Murthy also adds to this by stating in

his article that, “we are in the middle of a national youth mental health crisis, and I am concerned

that social media is an important driver of that crisis – one that we must urgently address.”
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(hhs.gov). He notes that recent studies show that, “adolescents who spend more than three hours

per day on social media face double the risk of experiencing poor mental health outcomes, such

as symptoms of depression and anxiety” (Murthy). Not only has research proven this but a recent

survey done in 2021 confirms that, “social media may also perpetuate body dissatisfaction,

disordered eating behaviors, social comparison, and low self-esteem, especially among

adolescent girls” (Murthy). Even though it is not 100% proven that social media is causing

mental health disorders there are definitely many components pointing to social media being a

major cause.

Parents are worried about the impact social media is having on their child’s time

management. Gwenn Schurgin O’Keeffe and Kathleen Clarke-Pearson, members of the Council

on Communications and Media, asserts that, “other problems that merit awareness include

Internet addiction and concurrent sleep deprivation” (publications.aap.org). This statement

illustrates how social media quickly becomes a problem when family attempts to bond with the

younger members in the family. In the video, “How Does Social Media Affect College Students”,

members of the Collegiate Newspaper at GRCCcollegiate, disputes why social media sites

“affect students the way they do” and how we can reduce the negative impact it is causing

(youtube.com). One student who was interviewed admits that social media is “distracting” and

how “you get lost” for hours in these apps which are difficult “to get off of” (“How Does Social

Media”). A professor who was also interviewed claims that social media is “literally” addicting

because every time you check your social media your brain releases dopamine, which is a

component in actual drugs that give you that same happy effect (GRCCcollegiate). Another

student admits that she was “definitely choosing” to spend her time on snapchat rather than
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doing her homework (GRCCcollegiate). This just shows how much social media commonly gets

in the way.

Social media is beginning to have a negative impact on adolescent’s academic

performance which is causing parents to stand against the excess use of social media. Jamon

Aliyas Paul, a professor at Kennesaw State University, declares that a substantial portion of

social media users, “is made up of college students” (sciencedirect.com). He reveals how recent

studies prove that, “overinvolvement or obsession” with social media from students negatively

impacts how well they perform at school (Paul). Paul believes that when in class many students

claim to be on the internet for academic reasons, but “many tend to be on Facebook instead of

following along” (sciencedirect.com). He argues that students not only message and email in

class, but some even answer calls; Paul also believes that, “this behavior not only prevents the

offenders from fully engaging in the class, more conscientious students have complained that it is

distracting to observe fellow students browsing on sites unrelated to the class”

(sciencedirect.com). All this information shows how students are better off limiting their use on

social media to do better academically.

Parents continue to stand against social media usage due to its effects on their children’s

mental health, time management, and academic performance. Although social media certainly

does come with its benefits, the negative effects it has on youngsters seems to outweigh these

benefits, as you can recognize from reading this essay. This is still an ongoing issue that will

continue to grow into an even bigger issue unless we the people put a stop to the excess use of

social media seen in adolescents.

Works Cited

“How Does Social Media Affect College Students?” YouTube, GRCCcollegiate, 13 Oct. 2022,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G3pTmLPdank. Accessed 14 Nov. 2023.

Murthy, Vivek. “Surgeon General Issues New Advisory about Effects Social Media Use Has on

Youth Mental Health.” U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, ASH Media, 23

May 2023, www.hhs.gov/about/news/2023/05/23/surgeon-general-issues-new-advisory-

about-effects-social-media-use-has-youth-mental-health.html.

O’Keeffe, Gwenn Schurgin, and Kathleen Clarke-Pearson. “The Impact of Social Media on

Children, Adolescents, and Families.” American Academy of Pediatrics, AAP Publications,

1 Apr. 2011, www.publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article/127/4/800/65133/The-Impact-of-

Social-Media-on-Children-Adolescents?autologincheck=redirected.
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Paul, Jomon Aliyas, et al. “Effect of Online Social Networking on Student Academic

Performance.” ScienceDirect, Computers in Human Behavior, 11 July 2012,

www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0747563212001665.

Priya, V. Krishna. “Impact of Social Media on Mental Health of Students.” ResearchGate,

International Journal of Scientific & Technology Research, 20 Apr. 2020,

www.researchgate.net/profile/V-Krishna-Priya/publication/340779328_IMPACT_OF_S

OCIAL_MEDIA_ON_MENTAL_HEALTH_OF_STUDENTS/links/

5e9d856e299bf13079aa9558/IMPACT-OF-SOCIAL-MEDIA-ON-MENTAL-HEALTH-

OF-STUDENTS.pdf?origin=publication_detail.