Social Media vs. Mental Health

In today's world as social media progresses and connects people from different corners across the globe, it's essentially a big part of our everyday lives. However, we start realizing as time goes on that social media has the power to affect our mental health due to its widespread use. In what ways does the usage of social media impact the mental health of individuals, and how do different contributions such as content exposure, bullying, and other relevant contributors, relate to this relationship? This question is relevant amongst teens and even young adults throughout high school, college, or whatever it is they do. This research proposal will be addressing things like what shows up on our social media feeds and how issuesrevolving around bullying come into play along with how social media can affect our mental state. To get a better understanding of the true depths of the importance of this issue we're dealing with, we're going to explore these various aspects.

Our main goal in researching this topic is to get a broader view of how and why social media impacts our mental health. It's critical to be able to thoroughly understand how and why social media affects our mental health, especially in the day and age of smartphones and constant connectivity we are in today. Overall, we want to successfully answer this question: In what

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ways do the usage of social media impact the mental health of individuals, and how do different contributions such as content exposure, bullying, and other relevant contributors, relate to this relationship? Turning to some scholarly articles is the best way to answer this. Twenge and Campbell (2018) showed us that the mental well-being of children and teenagers might not be great due to excessive screen time which includes social media use. Additionally, Kowalski et al. stated that the trauma caused fromcyberbullying has effects on the mental health of young people. Looking into different factors that influence the connections between mental health and social media shows why these studies are so important and helpful.

To successfully achieve the goal of research needed for this essay, we'll be using a variety of methods. First, we'll gather information on how people use social media and their mental health along with whether they've experienced bullying by simply surveying people. These surveys will be held by Twenge and Campbell (2018) along with Kowalski et al. (2014). To get a deeper understanding of willing participants' experiences and how said experiences relate to their mental health, we will also hold interviews with some survey participants. Furthermore, we'll be reading some scholarly books, articles, and authoritative sources in psychology, digital media studies, and sociology to dive into the vast sea of literature on this topic. To find more insights and studies to support our research, online databases, and library resources will be used often. We aim to gain a full understanding of the topic along with building a strong solid argument by using this multi-pronged approach.

Two key sources that have shaped our argument were discovered within our initial research. Twenge and Campbell's (2018) study titled "Associations between Screen Time and Lower Psychological Well-Being among Children and Adolescents" suggests that lower Robedeaux 3 psychological well-being among young people is linked to spending too much time on screens which even includes social media. The study done by Kowalski et al. (2014), "Bullying in the Digital Age: A Critical Review and Meta-Analysis of Cyberbullying Research among Youth," offers insights into the relationship between social media and cyberbullying and how that affects the mental well-being of young individuals. These sources explore how content exposure and bullying are key factors for how social media influences bullying, why social media can affect our mental health, and the importance of it all.

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1. Twenge, J. M., & Campbell, W. K. (2018). Associations between Screen Time and Lower Psychological Well-Being among Children and Adolescents. JAMA Pediatrics, 172(11), 1072-1079.2. Kowalski, R. M., Giumetti, G. W., Schroeder, A. N., & Lattanner, M. R. (2014). Bullying in the Digital Age: A Critical Review and Meta-Analysis of Cyberbullying Research among Youth. Psychological Bulletin, 140(4), 1073-1137.

• Does the proposal contain an introduction? Does their introduction contain a research question?
• Is there a clear purpose for the paper? What is it they plan to research?
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