The Negative Effects of Social Media and the Smartphone on Mental Health

From the Silent Generation to Gen Z, different generations have distinct behaviors, values, and attitudes that were shaped by the events during their formative years.

However, the most significant factor influencing generational differences is technology.

While technological progress has led to more individualism, it also can have negative impacts on mental health, leading to depression and suicide.

Jean M. Twenge is a professor of psychology at San Diego State University, consultant, public speaker, and author of a number of books. Her most recent book “Generations: The Real Differences Between Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, Boomers, and Silents―and What They Mean for America's Future” explores how different generations connect, conflict, and compete with one another.

Jean and Greg discuss the most critical influences on different generations' experiences, such as parenting styles and technology, and the importance of understanding and respecting other generations' viewpoints.

*unSILOed Podcast is produced by University FM.*

Episode Quotes:

The negative impact of social media on mental health

19:35: Right around that time, 2012, teens also started to spend a lot less time with their friends in person. So that had been on a slow decline since about 2000, but it fell off a cliff in the age of the smartphone. Teens also started spending less time sleeping right around that time. So, basically, the way they spent their time outside of school fundamentally changed. They started spending a lot more time online. A lot less time with their friends in person and less time sleeping. And that's not a good formula for mental health. So that's one of the mechanisms. And there's all of the others—all of the negative content that people come across on social media. Cyberbullying, the social comparison because everybody else's life is more glamorous. Body image issues, which have been well documented, including by the company Facebook themselves, who owns Instagram, found that Instagram led to body image issues among teen girls and young women. So, it's all of these mechanisms that the end result is more depression.

Depression isn't just about emotions; it's about cognition.

30:15: Depression isn't just about emotions; it's about cognition. It's about how you see the world, and so when more people are depressed, then you'll get that, as we do between millennials and Gen Z, that shift from optimism to pessimism, and pessimism and negativity are not all bad. If they're channeled into action, they can be a good thing.

One dilemma of individualism

40:01: That's one of the dilemmas of individualism, particularly for young adults: There's a lot more freedom, not as much restriction, on what I mean, it's just one example, like what you're going to do for your career. It used to be that was, not exclusively, but certainly heavily influenced by your race and your gender, and that's not true as much anymore. So it opens up many more possibilities. It also means, though, that there's a lot of choices, and that can sometimes be overwhelming.

To what extent are the rise in depression and the data simply an acknowledgment that it's okay to have mental health issues?

41:49: We know for sure that just more willingness to admit symptoms or problems doesn't explain the rise in mental health issues. Because if it was just that, you wouldn't see the rise in emergency room visits for self-harm, suicide attempts, or completed suicides, and not only is there that rise, but the pattern is about the same as the reports of symptoms.

Show Links:

Guest Profile:

• Faculty Profile at San Diego State University
• Jean M. Twenge's Website
• Jean M. Twenge on Twitter
• Jean M. Twenge on LinkedIn
• Jean M. Twenge on TEDxLagunaBlancaSchool

Her Work:

• Jean M. Twenge on Google Scholar
• Generations: The Real Differences Between Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, Boomers, and Silents―and What They Mean for America's Future
• iGen: Why Today's Super-Connected Kids Are Growing Up Less Rebellious, More Tolerant, Less Happy--and Completely Unprepared for Adulthood
• Generation Me - Revised and Updated: Why Today's Young Americans Are More Confident, Assertive, Entitled--and More Miserable Than Ever Before

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