Is social media hurting youth mental health ?

Does Instagram creates negative competition on youth mind?

Last year, the social networking site Instagram made news for limiting likes in an effort to avoid the comparisons and wounded sentiments that come from associating popularity with sharing material. But are these efforts truly combating mental health concerns, or are they merely bandaging a wound?

Instagram Limitation

Instagram's latest limitation is a modest step in the right way, according to Jacqueline Sperling, PhD, a psychologist at McLean Hospital who works with kids who have anxiety problems. "Even if the likes are removed, there are still chances for comparisons and comments." People are still able to compare themselves to others and make comments."

Katanu discusses the beneficial and bad effects of social media on young people. Katatu is a BTEC student at Brookhouse School. She has formed a strong desire to study marketing during her BTEC programme. This lecture was delivered at a TEDx event, which was organised by a local community and followed the TED conference model. 

Visit https://www.ted.com/tedx for additional information.

  Impact of Social Media on Youth | Katanu Mbevi

How social site impact!

The use of social media has been linked to feelings of worry and sadness, particularly among younger users. According to the newspaper, Facebook, which owns Instagram and Whatsapp, has publicly "played down" the photo-sharing platform's detrimental health consequences on young people. The WSJ's charges, according to Facebook's vice president of global relations and former deputy prime minister Nick Clegg, are "simply plain untrue."

Negative Impact

The Education Policy Institute (EPI) and The Prince's Trust conducted research earlier this year that indicated that children of primary school age had equal levels of happiness and self-esteem. However, by the age of 14, their mental health begins to deteriorate, with females experiencing a more rapid deterioration. According to the survey, at the age of 14, one out of every three girls was unhappy with her looks, compared to one out of every seven at the end of elementary school. "Heavy social media usage at age 14 was associated with lower self-esteem and worse psychological distress at age 17," according to the study.