Social Media and Public Health

professorlevine2020

Read the article. Discuss whether you agree, disagree, and why.

https://usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2021-07-20/social-media-is-a-public-health-crisis

balmonte167

I agree with the statement in the article. Social media is an addiction, and I can see it in my behavior. The reason why I agree with the statement made in the article is because I have personally struggled with social media addiction and have spent hours upon hours on apps like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. I feel like I could be allocating my time better if I was not so attached to social media. I also feel like social media lowers self-esteem. It does this by showing and comparing you to others on the app. It can make someone be insecure.

Asha1770

I agree with the opinion of the article. This opinion is held by many, even social media users that are victims to the addiction. Even sometimes I catch myself on social media too long on one day or another. It also fuels parasocial relationships and a lot of teens and children are being raised by the internet and not their parents. So while yes I do agree that it is an issue, some of good has come from it as well. Like movements and marginalized voices being heard more often than not. But when it comes to health I think that we all need regulated use of social media. Especially since we don't know the lasting effects it could have on our brains.

Josh5908

I do believe social media can become an addiction in the same ways as cigarettes and alcohol. It is addicting and has been made to keep people hooked on these apps. Someone can engage with it without it being an addiction but it is also easy to become addicted to it without realizing and suffering the negative effects of having that addiction. I have regulated my use of social media already because I can attest to the negative effects of using it too much. You often feel worse and lonely after engaging with it for so long so it is important to reduce the use of it.