This is an interesting research topic because it is relevant to me and today's society. Personally, I am always on my phone, going through different apps and texting my friends. I especially have used it as a procrastinating tool, since I check social media multiple times a day, whether I am bored or actually have work to do. Recently, I have been trying to stop going on my phone so much and it has made me realize how much everyone else is addicted to their phones and social media. People are always obsessing about topic after topic, whether on Twitter, Instagram, etc. I believe that I am qualified to write about this topic because it is affecting me and the world around me. I have first hand experience with the topic and it is something that is probably going to get worse before it gets better. 


The article talked about ten different ways social media affects our mental health. It listed reasons such as how social media is addictive, leads to multitasking and cyberbullying, can make us unhappy and glamorizes drug and alcohol use. Under each point, the author discussed why the reasoning is correct and backed it up with a reference to a study. 

The article identifies various reasons as to why social media is having a negative impact towards teen health. But it also brings up two rebuttal arguments in the last couple points about positive impacts of social media. These are good points for me to be able to refute the argument being made, to enhance my argument overall. 

The author, Caitlin Probst, does not have a lot of credibility just by her name and the website since she is not well known, and neither is the website, and there is no informations to who she is.  Although, by siting her sources, this gives her argument some credibility since she references more well-known sources. The article itself is relevant, since it is dated from April 29th of 2015. The author seems to be mostly informative, but could be biased. Although she talks about two ways social media might have a positive impact, there are eight reasons as to why it is having a negative impact.


The articled talked about the negative effects of social media on children and teens. It included examples such as how teens are not learning social skills by only talking online, or how kids are constantly trying to make themselves look good online. It also discusses some things that parents can do, including not using, or reduce using, one's technology in front of their child. 

This article will be valuable to my argument since it does have a lot of information from trained professionals, which will also help to increase my credibility. The article talks about some of the most important ways that social media can have a negative impact on teen health. Although the article does not give specific statistics, it references various doctors and psychologists, which helps it's credibility. The author, Rachel Ehmke, does not seem to have a lot of credibility, just that she is a senior writer. But the website itself seems to be credible since it is an educational website that has a lot of information on many topics. The article is relevant to the argument because it has been updated last in August of 2015. The author and the article could be biased since it only shows one side of the argument and does not talk about the other one. 


This article talks about how teens are at risk of lack of sleep, depression and anxiety, if they use too much social media. It discusses a new study that showed a correlation between these symptoms and social media. Although later in the article it mentions a professor who talks about the other side of the argument and how this is mostly in extreme cases and some get support through social media. 

The article has many aspects that can contribute to my argument. It references a study that shows a correlation between social media and mental health problems. It also references professors throughout the article, giving it a professional aspect that can help give me credibility. It also shows another side to the argument, a positive influence and refutes the negative impact argument a bit, which will be useful for me to refute back and enhance my overall argument.

The author, Alan Mozes, has some credibility since he is a HealthDay reporter. The article is also posted on a well known site, WebMD, which many people know to be credible. Many people use this site to find out what sickness they have or how to treat it. The article is also recent, posted on September 11th, 2015, therefore it is relevant to the argument. Although the article seems to have bias since it leans toward different point of views, it is actually informative since it discusses the different professors perspectives, and gives two sides of the argument.

This research question is arguable because it has a conflicting argument that states that social media is actually positively affecting teens, which many people believe. The sources have seemed to say similar things, about how social media can lead to cyberbullying and how it makes us compare our lives with others. But there are also some differences. For instance, in the first article, it talks about how social media may be able to make us more social, whereas in the second one it says that social media is harming our social skills. Although the articles are from different perspectives, they share the same ideas, only enhancing the information that I already know about the topic. I may need to make the topic even more specific, maybe focusing more on mental health than also including physical
