Human beings, like many other animals, are social by nature and therefore depend on companionship to thrive. In recent years, this search for companionship has been facilitated by social media and technology in general. To this end, social networking platforms, including Facebook, X, Instagram, Snapchat, and WhatsApp, among many more, have become very popular. In fact, recent data shows that as of January 2026, the number of people using social networks globally stood at 6.05 billion, which is a steep increase from the 2.73 billion in 2017 (Dixon, 2026). The data also shows that the majority of people using these social networks are either teenagers or young adults. At the same time, adolescents around the world have been experiencing a decline in their mental health over the past decade, which begs the question of whether this trend is influenced, at least in part, by the increased use of social networks for companionship (Fassi et al., 2025). This essay argues that, indeed, social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok are a primary cause of rising anxiety and depression among teenagers because they promote unrealistic comparisons, enable cyberbullying, and disrupt sleep.
To start with, social networks facilitate upward comparisons, which is comparing oneself with people considered to be better off, which has negative effects such as reduced self-esteem, anxiety, and depression. Although they have many more uses, social platforms, especially Facebook and Instagram, are mainly used to post lifestyle updates, which facilitates social comparisons. The comparisons could be beneficial at times when they motivate self-improvement, learning, or positive self-view (Andrade et al., 2023). However, more often than not, users present unrealistic versions of themselves using advanced filters or photo and video editing. As a result, the parties engaging in upward comparison with such accounts struggle to meet these standards, which causes body dissatisfaction, especially among women and younger people (Andrade et al., 2023). This, in turn, causes a negative body image, low self-esteem, social anxiety, and, at times, depression (Merino et al., 2024). For example, a teenage girl who sees slender women on social media can get stuck with that perception of women and go to extra lengths, such as starving herself, to appear slender. This leads to eating disorders, and if she fails to live up to that image, she would be dissatisfied with her appearance, which affects her mental health as discussed.
In addition to upward self-comparisons, social media creates an ideal platform for online bullying behind faceless accounts. Social networks come with the anonymity that gives aggressors the confidence to engage in harmful actions that they would not consider in face-to-face interactions (Anguyo et al., 2023). Although bullying was there well before social networks, these platforms have facilitated its increase. In fact, research shows that over a third of adolescents globally have become victims of cyberbullying (Anguyo et al., 2023). It also shows that the likelihood of this happening increases with the increase in the time spent on social platforms. For example, a teenage boy with a different appearance than others, such as dwarfism, can get a lot of derogatory comments and hurtful messages that cause emotional distress. Anguyo et al. (2023) note that this in turn can affect their sleep patterns, feelings of helplessness, and even depression. As such, the anonymity provided by social media platforms creates an ideal environment for trolling, which, like upward comparisons, also affects the mental health of teenagers and young adults.
Aside from the cyberbullying and self-inflicted social comparisons, social networks can affect sleep patterns and, therefore, overall performance on other aspects of life, such as education and performance. In their research, Pirdehghan, Khezmeh, and Panahi (2021) observed that among adolescents, the tendency to go to sleep with the phone was high, and boys were more likely to spend more time on social media at this time. In addition, the authors observed that social media use was associated with poor sleep quality. Other than that, the study showed that using electronic devices at this time reduced sleep duration and increased depression. In other words, increased social media use among adolescents reduces the quality of sleep and its duration. This affects the other aspects of life because it affects how rested an individual is and, therefore, their temperament. In fact, Hassan et al. (2025) observed that poor sleeping patterns affect concentration and problem-solving and, consequently, academic performance or work performance.
This paper acknowledges two arguments that could be made on how social networks can improve mental health. To begin with, some argue that social media helps in reducing feelings of isolation by creating a support network, which is supported by Kusumota et al. (2022). Although this is true, the positive effects of companionship are greatly outweighed by the negative effects discussed above. Research by Atske and Atske (2025) shows that almost half of the teenagers think social media has mostly a negative effect on people their age. Furthermore, the companionship achieved through social media is mostly superficial because social media is inherently impersonal, which means friends cannot provide meaningful emotional support. An additional argument against this is that social media provides more access to information and resources regarding mental health, so, in theory, it could be a resource to help youth understand mental health issues, identify the signs of mental health issues, and access professional services. But this argument does not take into account that, in fact, the majority of adolescents and young adults use social media for entertainment purposes, not for educational purposes.
In summary, Social Media has a greater negative impact on Mental Health than a positive impact. Social Media sites, including X, Instagram, Snapchat, and Facebook provide opportunities to connect and make friends. While they also provide information on Mental Health issues, most users use Social Media more for entertainment than any other reason, which negatively impacts Teenagers' and Young Adults' Mental Health. Social networks expose teenagers to impossible standards at a formative age, trolling and bullying, and also affect their sleep patterns. All these effects contribute to anxiety over body image, reduced performance academically and in employment, and if left unaddressed, can contribute to depression.
Reference List
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