Social media is pervasive in many areas of our lives; we use platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and more to communicate, keep family and friends updated, stay up-to-date on current news and issues, pursue hobbies, and even connect with new people. However, it’s not all fun and games. It’s becoming more apparent every day that social media can have some negative side effects on users’ mental health and overall well-being. Think you know about the darker side of social media? Take our quiz and get the facts.
1. What percentage of U.S. teens ages 13–17 use social media, according to a 2022 Pew Research Center poll, with one third of those teens saying they use social media “almost constantly”?
A. 95%
B. 81%
C. 72%
D. 59%
2. What percentage of U.S. children ages 8–12 reported using social media in the same poll?
A. 10%
B. 20%
C. 40%
D. 80%
3. True or false? Social media can negatively impact our overall well-being, especially in teens and young adults.
4. Which of the following is a way in which social media can have a negative effect on users?
A. By fueling anxiety
B. By increasing feelings of depression
C. By creating feelings of loneliness
D. By triggering FOMO (fear or missing out), which creates feelings of dissatisfaction with one’s own day-to-day life.
E. All of the above
5. True or false? Social media has an addictive component as it activates the brain’s reward center by releasing the “feel-good chemical” dopamine when we post something and get “likes.” However, when we don’t get the boost or approval of “likes,” it can impact our sense of self and adequacy.
6. Social media platforms can be a hotbed of cyberbullying — spreading hurtful rumors and lies, saying abusive things or threats, or targeting someone for ridicule — that can cause lasting emotional damage. What percentage of people said they had been cyberbullied in a 2020 poll?
A. 5%
B. 12%
C. 27%
D. 44%
7. A study of U.S. adolescents ages 12–15 found that adolescents who spent which of the following times per day on social media faced double the risk of experiencing poor mental health outcomes, including symptoms of depression and anxiety?
A. More than 1 hour a day
B. At least 2 hours a day
C. More than 3 hours a day
D. Fewer than 4 hours a day
8. True or false? In some cases, childhood deaths have been linked to suicide- and self-harm-related content and risk-taking challenges on social media platforms.
9. Which of the following is an additional aspect of social media that can cause harm?
A. The use of filters that promote fake physical standards, which in turn perpetuate body dissatisfaction, disordered eating behaviors, social comparison, and low self-esteem.
B. Exposure to self-harm, violence, drug use, hate-based content, and other dangerous acts, which can normalize the behavior.
C. Social media offers a space for predatory behaviors and interactions with malicious actors who target the young.
D. All of the above
10. True or false? When asked about the impact of social media on their body image, 46% of adolescents ages 13–17 said social media makes them feel worse, 40% said it makes them feel neither better nor worse, and only 14% said it makes them feel better.
11. Which of the following is a way anyone can reduce the harm caused by the negative aspects of social media?
A. Set time limits on social media apps or designate specific hours for social media use.
B. Unfollow or “mute” friends and accounts that make you feel bad about yourself.
C. Prioritize in-person connections and activities.
D. Contact a mental health professional if you are struggling with mental health issues.
E. All of the above
Compiled by ERIKA ALDRICH / Information from UC Davis Health, McLeanHospital.org. The U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory, and the National Library of Medicine
ANSWERS:
- A. 95%
- C. 40%
- True
- E. All of the above
- True
- D. 44%
- C. More than 3 hours a day
- True
- D. All of the above
- True
- E. All of the above