Kamanda Isaac Mwanadjibu

OLD OR UNPROOFREAD APA The Impact of Social Media on Adolescent Mental Health In recent years, social media has become an integral part of adolescents’ lives, influencing various aspects of their development. Researchers have increasingly focused on the potential effects of social media use on mental health, with studies yielding mixed results. Some evidence suggests that excessive social media use is linked to negative mental health outcomes, such as anxiety, depression, and low selfesteem (Twenge, 2019). Conversely, other research highlights the potential benefits of social media, including increased social support and community building (Best, Manktelow, & Taylor, 2014). One of the critical issues in this area of research is the difficulty in establishing a causal relationship between social media use and mental health outcomes. While crosssectional studies indicate a correlation, they cannot determine whether social media use leads to mental health problems or whether adolescents with existing mental health issues are more likely to engage in excessive social media use (Hoge et al., 2017). Longitudinal studies, which track individuals over time, are better suited to address this issue, although they too face challenges, such as participant attrition and the rapidly changing landscape of social media platforms. Another factor to consider is the role of individual differences. Adolescents do not all experience social media in the same way; factors such as personality traits, pre-existing mental health conditions, and offline social environments can moderate the impact of social media on mental health (Valkenburg, Peter, & Schouten, 2006). For example, introverted adolescents may experience social media differently than their extroverted peers, with the former potentially finding online interactions less fulfilling and more stressful (Wang, Jackson, Zhang, & Su, 2012). Moreover, the type of social media use also matters. Passive consumption, such as scrolling through feeds without interacting, has been associated with negative outcomes, whereas active engagement, like commenting and sharing, may have a protective effect (Verduyn, Ybarra, Résibois, Jonides, & Kross, 2017). Therefore, interventions aimed at promoting healthier social media habits might focus on encouraging more active and positive interactions online. In conclusion, while social media has become a ubiquitous part of adolescents’ lives, its impact on mental health is complex and multifaceted. Researchers and practitioners should continue to investigate the nuanced ways in which social media use can both support and hinder adolescent mental health. By doing so, they can better inform guidelines and interventions designed to maximize the benefits of social media while minimizing its potential harms. References Best, P., Manktelow, R., & Taylor, B. (2014). Online communication, social media and adolescent wellbeing: A systematic narrative review. *Children and Youth Services Review, 41*, 27-36. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth- Hoge, E., Bickham, D., & Cantor, J. (2017). Digital media, anxiety, and depression in children. *Pediatrics, 140*(Supplement 2), S76-S80. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds-G Twenge, J. M. (2019). More time on technology, less happiness? Associations between digital-media use and psychological well-being. *Current Directions in Psychological Science, 28*(4), 372-379. https://doi.org/10.1177/- Valkenburg, P. M., Peter, J., & Schouten, A. P. (2006). Friend networking sites and their relationship to adolescents’ well-being and social self-esteem. *CyberPsychology & Behavior, 9*(5), 584-590. https://doi.org/10.1089/cpb- Verduyn, P., Ybarra, O., Résibois, M., Jonides, J., & Kross, E. (2017). Do social network sites enhance or undermine subjective well-being? A critical review. *Social Issues and Policy Review, 11*(1), 274-302. https://doi.org/10.1111/sipr.12033 Wang, J. L., Jackson, L. A., Zhang, D. J., & Su, Z. Q. (2012). The relationships among the Big Five personality factors, self-esteem, and Internet addiction among college students. *Computers in Human Behavior, 28*(6),-. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb- PROOFREADED APA The Impact of Social Media on Adolescent Mental Health In recent years, social media has become an integral part of adolescents’ lives, influencing various aspects of their development. Researchers have increasingly focused on the potential effects of social media use on mental health, with studies yielding mixed results. Some evidence suggests that excessive social media use is linked to negative mental health outcomes, such as anxiety, depression, and low selfesteem (Twenge, 2019). Conversely, other research highlights the potential benefits of social media, including increased social support and community building (Best, Manktelow, & Taylor, 2014). One of the critical issues in this area of research is the difficulty in establishing a causal relationship between social media use and mental health outcomes. While crosssectional studies indicate a correlation, they cannot determine whether social media use leads to mental health problems or whether adolescents with existing mental health issues are more likely to engage in social( mediaHoge et al. 2017) note that longitudinal studies, which track individuals over time, are better suited to address this issue; however, they too face challenges, such as participant attrition and the rapidly changing landscape of social media platforms. Another factor to consider is the role of individual differences. Adolescents do not all experience social media in the same way; factors such as personality traits, pre-existing mental health conditions, and offline social environments can moderate the impact of social media on mental health (Valkenburg, Peter, & Schouten, 2006). For example, introverted adolescents may experience social media differently than their extroverted peers, with the former potentially finding online interactions less fulfilling and more stressful (Wang, Jackson, Zhang, & Su, 2012). Moreover, the type of social media use also matters. Passive consumption, such as scrolling through feeds without interacting, has been associated with negative outcomes, whereas active engagement, like commenting and sharing, may have a protective effect (Verduyn, Ybarra, Résibois, Jonides, & Kross, 2017). Therefore, interventions aimed at promoting healthier social media habits might focus on encouraging more active and positive interactions online. In conclusion, while social media has become a ubiquitous part of adolescents’ lives, its impact on mental health is complex and multifaceted. Researchers and practitioners should continue to investigate the nuanced ways in which social media use can both support and hinder adolescent mental health. By doing so, they can better inform guidelines and interventions designed to maximize the benefits of social media while minimizing its potential harms. REFERENCE Best, P., Manktelow, R., & Taylor, B. (2014). Online communication, social media, and adolescent well-being: A systematic narrative review. *Children and Youth Services Review, 41*, 27-36. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth- Hoge, E., Bickham, D., & Cantor, J. (2017). Digital media, anxiety, and depression in children. *Pediatrics, 140*(Supplement 2), S76-S80. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds-G Twenge, J. M. (2019). More time on technology, less happiness? Associations between digital media use and psychological well-being. *Current Directions in Psychological Science, 28*(4), 372-379. https://doi.org/10.1177/- Valkenburg, P. M., Peter, J., & Schouten, A. P. (2006). Friend networking sites and their relationship to adolescents’ well-being and social self-esteem. *CyberPsychology & Behavior, 9*(5), 584-590. https://doi.org/10.1089/cpb- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb- Proofread errors Errors Explained: 1. The title was incorrectly formatted, lacking a space after “Mental Health” and before “In.” This was corrected by adding a space. 2. The last sentence was incomplete, ending abruptly after “existing.” It was completed by adding “mental health issues are more likely to engage in social media.” Errors Explained: 1. The citation “Hoge et al., 2017)” was corrected to “Hoge et al. (2017)” to properly format the citation within the text. 2. The phrase “although they too face challenges” was changed to “however, they too face challenges” for better clarity and flow. 3. A semicolon was used instead of a comma before “however” to correctly separate two independent clauses. Errors Explained: The original text was grammatically correct, with no spelling or punctuation errors. The text was clear and well-structured, so no edits were necessary. Errors Explained: 1. Added a comma after “social media” in the first citation to separate items in a list correctly. 2. Changed “wellbeing” to “well-being” in the first citation for consistency with standard usage. 3. Changed “digital-media” to “digital media” in the third citation to follow standard formatting for compound nouns. Explanation of Errors: There were no grammatical, spelling, or punctuation errors in the provided text. The citations are correctly formatted according to APA style.