Student Research Guide SPQ25/ Social Media and Effects on Brain Development

Social Media and Its Effect on a Developing Brain

 This is a student created research guide for English 102 & Library 201 Learning community. This guide was completed in conjunction with a research paper on the same topic for English 102.

The purpose of this guide is to explore how introducing social media to the youth can have an effect to the developmental process of a young person brain. 

The research thesis of this guide is to look at how social media has induced behavioral, and mental complications due to the content they show. Which puts our next generation in a serious development risk.

The research questions addresses in this guide are:

• What are the cognitive and memory retention effects social media has on the youth?
• How does exposing a child early to social media affect them emotionally and mentally?
• How does social media affect sleeping patterns? and how does it affect brain health?
• How does social media algorithmic design play a role in how users use social media?
• What is social media "reward system" and how does it affect the youth?
• Are there any long term consequences if using social media for a long period of time?

With the rise of social media, many people have been using its platforms since its release, whether for entertainment, posting their status, or to simple see the latest world news. Whatever the use may be, it's no surprise that people have become dependent on it, so much so that parents and school systems have started introducing social media to young children, whether as a form of education or as a distraction. This document demonstrates how social media influences young children and can affect them mentally and behaviorally. SVC databases to find medical research, analysis, and tests. Much of the research was in done in Google Scholar, including research conducted by a Nobel prize laureate. The results that were found after looking over 10 sources was that, children who are exposed to social media at a young are more likely to, have a short attention span, have a decrease in academic learning, have trouble socializing, have trouble gathering information, especially if asked for accurate information, and show signs of ADHD symptoms without being diagnosed with ADHD. After looking over these facts it is clear to say that social media can impact on children and should be held with a higher responsibility when it is around children. 

While social media has been our main use of entertainment, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic where it was in at an all time high, there has been more and more usage of it ever since the mid 2010s. Platforms like TikTok and Instagram have been raising concerns to parents, educators, and psychologists, mostly in areas involving attention span, emotional health, and the brain development process all of these mostly affecting the youth. The new generation. 

This video addresses the issues social media causes when it is introduced and abused by the youth. When addressing mental and social media, the source provides additional information of how social media can be a catalyst for mental health.

“Social Media and Youth Mental Health.” Utah Insight, season 4, episode 2, hosted by Jason Perry, PBS Utah, uploaded 26 May 2023, YouTube, www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXKuW5o47ow.