No longer just a cliché, society is truly connected 24/7. Social media has become a ubiquitous entity, seamlessly integrated into almost every facet of daily life. Online apps like Instagram and SnapChat provide users with a free and accessible way to stay up to date with current trends, share moments, and follow friends and celebrities. Growing rapidly at a global rate of ten percent per year, despite all that social media offers, these platforms raise an equal number of concerns, particularly for their young, impressionable users. According to the Pew Research Center, 78% of 18-24 year olds use Snapchat, while 71% use Instagram and 68% use Facebook. This demographic views social media as “fundamental to their daily experience” (Stern, 2017). This transformation of social media from a part of life to a way of life in adolescents' lives has a negative impact on their mental health. Depression, anxiety, and lowered self-esteem are some of the issues that affect social media users when trying to present a perfect image online. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Human beings have an innate drive to compare ourselves to others. This drive fulfills many roles, such as satisfying needs for affiliation, evaluating oneself, making decisions, receiving encouragement, and regulating one's emotions. Upward social comparison occurs when one compares oneself to superior peers who have positive traits. Although upward social comparison can be beneficial when it leads people to adopt the characteristics of those they admire, it often leads people to feel inadequate, have lower self-esteem, and have negative affect (Marsh and Parker, 1984). Intimate access to the lives of a plethora of peers on social media means that young people on social media are primarily engaged in upward social comparison, even if unconsciously, often without the means to achieve the same level of status as those they try to imitate. the obsession with perfection is not a new phenomenon. Before the rise of social media, magazines and print media were long criticized for spreading unrealistic standards of success and beauty. However, it was openly acknowledged that these perfectionist images were just that: models retouched, retouched and photoshopped to give a mere semblance of reality. However, with the virtually non-existent barriers to entry on social media, the impossible standards are no longer set by celebrities and models, but by peers, classmates and friends. With impossible standards now set much closer to home, young people on social media must now carefully curate what they share on these platforms, forming an online highlight reel with which to conform and compete with the expectations set by their peers. Susanna Stern, in the Journal of Mass Communication, notes that "participation in social media comes with new pressures on adolescents to question and present themselves, stay in constant contact, compare socially, and validate others while seeking to validate themselves.” . These pressures impact adolescents' self-esteem, levels of depression and anxiety, and the quality of relationships” (Stern, 2017). A recent study in the American Journal of Preventative Medicine hasfurther revealed that young people who visit social media fifty-eight times a week are nine times more likely to feel socially isolated and depressed. While that number may seem high, that's only eight times a day. This need to be constantly connected and validated increases the time spent on social media platforms, thereby increasing the negative effects in a vicious cycle that becomes exhausting to maintain. Trying to maintain the idealized outward appearance projected on social media becomes a daily struggle. for teenagers unconsciously seeking validation on social media. Dr Wick, a clinical psychologist at the Child Mind Institute, reports an increase in feelings of depression and frustration among young people due to the disconnect between their reality and what they pretend to be on social media. “If you practice being a false self eight hours a day, it becomes more difficult to accept the imperfect being you really are.” (Jacobson, 2019) This struggle to defend an online persona has been dubbed “duck syndrome” by researchers at Stanford University. The term refers to the way a duck appears to glide effortlessly across a pond while beneath the surface its legs struggle frantically and invisibly to stay afloat. The negative effects of social media are further compounded by pre-existing negative images or thoughts, which exacerbate these effects. destructive emotions. Young people struggling with self-doubt read their peers' online posts more deeply, focusing on what they're missing. “Children view social media through the prism of their own lives,” says Dr Emmanuel PhD. “If they struggle to stay on top of the situation or suffer from low self-esteem, they are more likely to interpret the images of their peers. have fun to confirm that they are doing badly compared to their friends. While numerous studies have demonstrated a correlation between social media use and depression, anxiety, social isolation, and low self-esteem, a recent study from the University of Pennsylvania further proved causation. Changing the time spent on social media actually has measurable effects on mental health. The study, published in the Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, showed that young people who actively limited their social media use during the study felt significantly better afterwards, reporting reduced depression and loneliness, particularly among those who initially had higher levels of depression. depression. “Ultimately,” said study author Melissa G. Hunt, “using less social media than you normally would leads to a significant decrease in depression and loneliness.” These effects are particularly pronounced among people who were more depressed at the time of their participation in the study. The prevalence of social media also provides an additional, more accessible avenue for those who engage in malicious behavior online. Increased use of social media platforms has also been associated with increased levels of cyberbullying among young people. The results of a University of Athens study showed that European schoolchildren were more likely to be victims of cyberbullying, such as "aggressive and threatening messages, social exclusion, spreading rumors and sharing private, inappropriate or humiliating information,” if they used social networking sites more than 2 hours per week. Additionally, 60% of 13-18 year olds using social media said it had a negative impact on their self-esteem. Social media has., 103, 193– 210.