Mental Health & Social Media
Online social interaction is a large part of everyday life. Social media has been an excellent opportunity for many people, it even allows some to make social media their full-time career. People are able to post their lives online, and most of the population with a digital presence uses social media to communicate with peers, family, friends, or an online community. However, there is a dark side to social media. This side of social media is the one where hate, bullying, and criticism lies. This is called cyberbullying.
Cyberbullying is bullying that takes place over digital devices such as cell phones, computers, and tablets. Cyberbullying has been going on for over a decade now, and while there have been laws created in efforts to try and end it, cyberbullying still is very apparent across social media platforms. The impacts on mental health due to cyberbullying are abundant. Pew Research Center reported that nearly half of U.S. teens have been bullied or harassed online, with physical appearance being a leading cause.
Social media allows anonymity, and the factor of hiding behind a screen makes it easy for cyberbullies to thrive. On social media, 38% of users report cyberbullying every day. Cyberbullying through social media can cause overwhelming feelings of depression and anxiety. In some cases, suicide has been the result of online harassment.
It begs the question of how much this generation’s social media obsession is impacting cyberbullying. I go on the social media app Tik-Tok, which seems like the leading social media platform for people aged 14–25, and any viral video I see has negative comments. People who are just trying to post highlights of their days or share happy moments are being bullied by social media trolls, which are people who posts or comments online to deliberately upset others. Trolls are a large factor of social media cyberbullying these days, and even though they are usually hiding behind a burner account, their digital words still leave an impact for many. There have been many influencers and content creators who have had to take social media breaks due to trolls and cyberbullying, this is something that unfortunately is more common than many think.
Cyberbullying is a sensitive topic, but it is something that needs to be continuously discussed. It is critical to notice the negative connection between cyberbullying and social media. There are still people even in 2023 who are hiding behind a screen to tear others apart, and it is impacting far too many lives. Cyberbullying is something that seems like it will never go away, but the more people are educated on how to recognize it and safely use social media to protect their own mental health and others, regulation may be a possibility.
