The popular opinion is that too much screen time contributes to an overall mental decline; however, science and testimonies are showing that it’s not screens that contribute to poor mental well being but the content that users choose to indulge in.

The reason my claim is true is because studies reviewed by Dr. Melinda Ring showed that there was, without exception, a correlation between social media victimization and depression. Her son suffered began to suffer from depression and she investigated his social media use. The content he looked at was not meaningful so they switched up the game. He began to only look at positive and uplifting content, and in turn, this helped improve his overall mood.

The reason my claim is true is because 54% of teens use social media as a source of reliable information and use it to determine their eating habits (fad diets), and lifestyle habits regardless of truth. This can negatively impact those with eating disorders or anxiety disorders who feel they need to live up to a certain standard.

The reason my claim is true is because Johannes Eichstaedt of the University of Pennsylvania conducted a study analyzing social media use and content and how this contributed to later diagnoses of depression. This study proved that content viewing led to later diagnoses of depression with up to 70% accuracy. While this is just the beginning of these studies, these results could be enough to gain big traction in the scientific community.

The reason my claim is true is because video games have shown not to increase depressive symptoms. This has been attributed to “upward social comparison” on social media sites where users are given unrealistic expectations about life and looks which has a negative impact on mental health. Unlike on social media, video games do not have algorithms that will continue to feed its users negative content.

The reason my claim is true is because many people equate their self worth to how many likes and comments they get on social media. IF someone is popular on social media, they can receive a lot of backlash from people who are not fans and this can have a negative impact.

The writer Andrea Peterson with the Wall Street Journal takes the position on our shared topic that an increased use of social media can help teens and young adults deal with their depression and anxiety by using exposure therapy. Young adults use social media to relearn how to socialize and create positive associations with it.

If I were on a debate stage and Andrea Peterson said I was wrong and then explained her counter argument to my claim, I would tell her that her claim only works in a controlled situation and environment with a therapist near by. Not everyone has access to a therapist for every interaction they have on social media. Some don’t have access to a therapist at all or even have the know how to do so. Using social media to treat anxiety and depression through exposure therapy is unrealistic on a large scale.

Many of you are asking “So what? Why should I care?”. Well, here is why this is important. If we put more focus on what causes depression associated with social media use then we can come up with a plan to deal with it. By it, I mean the awareness that young adults have about the content they view. This plan would involve parents and mentors talking with young adults content they view and how it can effect their lives, negatively or positively. Making young adults technologically literate and understanding of the algorithms in place, and how what they view now can alter what they view in the future, the outcome for social media induced anxiety or depression may lessen. This would be better than what is currently happening which is nothing. Young adults aren’t taught about possible consequences of social media use and interactions, and that is largely the issue.