THE CONNECTIONS BETWEEN SOCIAL MEDIA AND PSYCHOLOGICAL DISORDERS AMONG LATE ADOLESCENTS

Abstract

Problematic internet use in adolescents is linked with a higher risk of experiencing mental and psychological consequences such as depression, anxiety, sleep problems, chronic stress, and psychological distress. The research question guiding this research was: What are the connections between social media, particularly online video platforms such as Snapchat, TikTok, and YouTube, and psychological disorders among late adolescents? A homogenous sample of six participants, young adults aged 18-21, were recruited and individually interviewed. Interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) guided this study, and six themes were identified: impacts of social media use on youths, social comparisons and self-esteem issues in female teenagers, addiction to social media and fear of missing out, influencers’ impact on youths, social media use in pre-teenagers, and peer pressure. The study may help develop a guide for the mental health community to consider social media issues while helping teenagers with psychological distress.