Mental Health and the Media

If you go into any high school, you will see the majority of teens on cell phones and laptops, updating their facebook statuses or tweeting to their friends. But do they know that all this social media could be harmful for their mental health?

Social media can play a large role in affecting one's self esteem, either by online bullying or just feeling excluded by others. Many teens feel that they don't compare to others and end up feeling down. Other forms of media tell us how we should look, act, and feel, and it can really alter one's thinking. Young girls develop eating disorders because the media tells them they should be a size zero. Other teens will get in with the wrong crowd to try to rough up their image, but can end up feeling alone and unwanted. Because teens will then try to transform themselves into someone they're not, only to feel even more unhappy in the end.

Social media is a great new addition to our network of technology. But is it always so great? When the question of mental health in teens arises because of it, we have to ask ourselves: Is it really that beneficial?