April 21st, 2010; a date I’ll never forget. It was a typical Wednesday morning, I had just arrived to school in preparation to tackle my average middle school day, when I realized something was off. There were no teachers outside greeting us. There was no music playing in the background. There was no noise at all, for that matter. No one was talking. Everyone walked slowly to class with their heads down, minus the few confused faces looking around like my very own. I took my seat in environmental science and patiently waited for the morning announcements. It was in that exact moment that we learned a fellow classmate in the grade above us had passed away. For privacy reasons, the school did not release a formal statement of how he died until weeks later which eventually revealed that he had committed suicide. Whether it was because of my age, my naivety, or both, I genuinely had never even considered the thought of someone taking their own life; it was beyond me that anyone would do such a thing. Our school gave one minuscule presentation to help us cope with the loss, however, it’s been seven years since that day and in that time I have lost five more peers due to suicide. From my brother losing one of his best friends, to losing a friend that just down the road from me, suicide has become far too consistent in my town to the point where preventing it has almost become inevitable. It was not until experiencing the loss of a fellow classmate here in college that I had begun to realize how such a tragedy no longer had any affect on me. It was if they had been occurring like clockwork, once every year and unfortunately his death was right on cue. I had become numb to such a devastating feeling and that made me question why such a tragedy had occurred so many times in my particular town.

On average, one person dies by suicide every forty seconds somewhere in the world. In 2013 alone, 1748 deaths were reported by suicide among teens aged from 15-18 years old (Suicide Facts and Figures). This increase in suicide has aroused the question that many researchers all around the world are trying to figure out: Why? The leading factor thus far continues to come back to the fact that social media has rapidly increased since the late 21st century. Nick Zagorski stated in “Using Many Social Media Platforms Linked With Depression, Anxiety Risk” how research done on 1,787 young adults revealed that “people who reported using the most platforms (7-11) had more than three times the risk of depression and anxiety than those who used the least amount (0-2 platforms)” (Zagorski). This increase in social media has led to a rise in depression rates which in turn has increased the suicide rates amongst young adults.  Social media is defined as “forms of electronic communication such as websites for social networking and microblogging, through which users create online communities to share information, ideas, personal messages, and other content such as videos” (Merriam-Webster). The rise in social media began an entirely new, superficial, unconnected and virtual world in which we now live in. It is a world in which supermodels are put on a pedestal, thin beautiful bodies are idealized, young girls and boys are body shamed, and overall health is diminished in the process of attempting to meet societal expectations. Social media not only emphasizes but also increases the tremendous expectations that kids must endure during the most important developmental years of their lives. Having too much access to the internet and websites such as Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat and Twitter ultimately has led to a significant increase in depression rates which in turn had led to an increase in suicides amongst young adults.  

Studies have found that, “ninty percent of all people who die by suicide have a diagnosable psychiatric disorder at the time of their death” (Suicide Facts and Figures). This extremely high percentage shows that depression is the leading cause of suicide and concurrently, social media stems those thoughts and feelings. Robert Whitley, an assistant professor of psychiatry at McGill University recently wrote an article called, “Here’s Why Social Media Harms Your Teen’s Mental Health.” In his article, he delves into a study conducted by the University of Pittsburgh on young adults that indicated “that heavy social media users are almost three times more likely to be depressed than occasional users” which is key to understanding why depression is the leading cause of suicide. Social media arouses many feelings similar to those experienced with depression, such as inadequacy, self consciousness and self doubt. When adolescents cannot properly deal with these feelings, they begin to spiral off one another to the point of no control. He says that three interlinked factors may be at play for such a drastic difference, the first being that social media strongly impacts the way in which teens sleep. A study on adolescents showed that “many have difficulty logging-off and going to sleep while others may deliberately wake up to check social media during the night.” It has been proven that teens require at least eight hours of good quality sleep in order to properly fuel them through the next day and maintain healthiness. This shows that young adults are beginning to place a virtual world of essentially nothing over their own health by disrupting crucial factors to a healthy lifestyle. Whitley writes that a study on “passive use” of social media can “lead to envy and resentment and/or provokes and intensifies a negative emotional experience known as FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) which can lower self-esteem.” It has become such an issue that my very own friend said, “I really don’t want to go out because I’m so tired but I don’t want to have FOMO so I guess I’ll suck it up”. This shows that people often put their image above what’s really important for themselves when in the long run, one needs to listen to what their body needs rather than worrying about missing out on most likely nothing. Lastly, Whitley discusses how “many young people engage in strenuous impression management, filtering reality with the purpose of seeking the approval and admiration of others, otherwise known as external validation”. Jobsky Anke, of The Body-Image Meaning Transfer Model: An Investigation of the Sociocultural Impact on Individuals’ Body Image states, 

“The consumption process linking body-image and consumer can take place on a largely unconscious level. This may involve the perceived pressure to normalize and discipline the body as to socially accepted standards…The process of normalization can serve as some kind of ‘emotional filter’ triggered by feelings of anxiety, guilt, public observation and failure that can influence the degree of control an individual is willing to exert on his/her body” (Anke15). 

This subconscious level of thinking primarily comes from the culture and generation we live in. We live in a very advanced civilization where most have access to shelter, food, and an education. This privilege naturally leads kids to worry about self image as they spend the majority of their free time glued to their phones or the television which also promotes attractive people. For instance, young teens in other less civilized countries are not focused on their body image, rather they are working hard to make ends meet for their family. In addition to cultural impacts, Anke states, “when trying to attain or enhance the ideal culture meanings, most people are automatically condemned to fail, and as a consequence the discrepancy between actual and ideal self-image causes body-dissatisfaction, low self-esteem, and body-related anxiety that can have profound consequences on individual consumers’ body image” (Anke 17). It’s almost as if it’s a never ending cycle; seeing a body you’re envious of, attempting to achieve that, not achieving it as quickly, failing, feeling self-conscious, then starting all over again. However, such a cycle often leads to body dysmorphic disorder which is defined as “a mental disorder in which you can’t stop thinking about one or more perceived defects or flaws in your appearance—a flaw that, to others, is either minor or not observable” (Mayo Clinic). Body dysmorphic disorder is just one of the many eating disorders that arise from depression due to the unrealistic expectations that are broadcasted all over social media. 

Feelings of insecurity and self-doubt are what stem from being exposed to too much social media and in turn, these feelings are what stem the roots of depression and eating disorders. The Academy for Eating Disorders states that “eating disorders are associated with the highest level of mortality and medical complications of any psychiatric condition. It is imperative that eating disorders receive the same level and breadth of health care coverage that is available for treatment of medical disorders and other psychiatric conditions” (Academy for Eating Disorders). Laura Hensley Choate of Adolescent Girls In Distress: A Guide For Mental Health Treatment And Prevention, states that a study of 9th-12th graders showed that “59% of girls reported that they were trying to lose weight, 52% reported dieting, and 68% reported exercising to lose weight or prevent gaining weird”. While yes it is important maintain a healthy diet and active lifestyle, young teens should not be dieting and taking strenuous measures to lose weight because their bodies are still developing. Of those same girls, “15% stated they did not eat for 24 or more hours to lose weight or to keep from gaining weight, 6.3% took diet pills, powders, or liquids and 5.4% reported vomiting or taking laxatives to lose weight”. Choate focuses on many of the reasons behind these absurd statistics, of these are media influences, peer influences and social comparisons which ultimately all go hand in hand. Her book states 

“Meta-analyses indicates a consistent relationship among adolescent girl’s body image dissatisfaction, eating disorders and their exposure to media images that promote the thin and beautiful idea” and “girls who are repeatedly exposed to beauty ideal images will grow up believing the message that women should be thin and sexy and virtually all women could look this way if they try hard enough and buy the right merchandise”.

Going off of the preceding, a study carried out by The University of Texas at Austin found that, “The average American woman is 5 feet 4 inches tall and 166 pounds, and in contrast, most female models are 5 feet 11 inches and usually wear a size double zero to zero at around 107 pounds” (Crain). Typically, when you look around it is only those tall, incredibly skinny supermodels that you see being promoted as “beautiful”. This advertisement of only a small proportion of types of women has led women all over the world feeling as if they cannot meet society’s beauty expectations. Choate stated, “The current beauty ideal encompasses often unattainable and frequently contradictory characteristics including extreme sexiness, white and flawless skin, thin waist, long legs, tall, young, beautiful, physically fit, muscular, angular while also espousing a curvaceous and fell-breasted body type” (Choate). Take one look around you, I guarantee you that not one person fits that description perfectly and that is because such a thing does not exist. Lisa Damour, took a different approach to such a topic and wrote an article that discussed a study conducted in 1998 that “put female and male undergraduates in dressing rooms with a mirror and either swimsuits or sweaters in a range of sizes and thus instructed to complete a math test while wearing their designated clothing”. The results showed that women in the bathing suits scored far lower than the women wearing sweaters, regardless of the fact that they were alone in the dressing rooms. This study shows that women are constantly thinking about their body image even in times when asked to focus on their intelligence, something that has no correlation to looks. This obsession with looks for women can begin at such a young age, particularly around their first menstrual period, says Suzanne Abraham. She stated that, “In the year after her first menstrual period, the young woman becomes increasingly aware of her body weight; she begins to learn that she can control weight gain by easting sensibly, changing her eating patterns, dieting or by using other measures that will help her to stop absorbing the food she eats” (Abraham 40). This realization is what often begins the road of many hardships involving weight and body image for women in particular.

Contrary to all evidence leading to the fact that social media negatively affects the developing minds of young adults, there are some benefits that have come from the rise in social media use. Kelly Wallace of CNN discussed in her article that a survey of 13-17 year olds, 28% said social networking made them feel more outgoing versus 5% who said it made them feel less so; and 29% said it made them feel less shy versus the 3% who said it made them feel more introverted” (Wallace). While these statistics do show that social media has brought out the more outgoing side of these teens, there is still the possibility of these teens feeling self-conscious while looking at others on the same website. The study only focuses on shy versus outgoing; not confidence. In addition, Clive Thompson’s article states that, “Research by Amanda Lenhart of the Pew Research Centre, a US thinktank, found that the most avid texters are also the kids most likely to spend time with friends in person. One form of socializing doesn’t replace the other. It augments it” (Thompson). However, PsychCentral states that, “Approximately 20 percent of teens experience depression before they reach adulthood, and between 10 to 15 percent suffer from symptoms at any one time” (Borchard). With that being said, depression often goes untreated due to the surrounding negative stigma thus leading to young adults feeling as if suicide is their only option.

This unrealistic idealistic picture of what “beautiful” and “cool” is appeared as is being constantly rubbed in young adolescent’s faces everywhere they turn. Between the advertisements, billboards, Facebook ads, featured images on Instagram and even pictures of their peers; kids can’t get a break. The increasing technological advancement of our world doesn’t appear to be slowing any time soon and with that depression rates are just going to continue to increase.  So what can we do? To begin at the root of the problem, we can begin using social media as a way of expressing ourselves in our most natural form, rather than as a means of trying to show off and glorify our lives. The Body Positive Movement encourages people to adapt a more forgiving attitude towards their bodies, with the goal of achieving overall health and wellness. Movements like these only work when people jump on board, but slowly we can make a difference by choosing to upload pictures that promote genuine happiness rather than ones that appear to solely be bragging to the world. The end goal of this is to reduce the rates of depression to help minimize the loss of young adults to suicide and I can begin to do that by making you aware of the warning signs of depression and suicide. These warnings include: insomnia, loss of interest in activities, irritability, fatigue, change in appetite, anxiety, feelings of hopelessness and guilt, making persistent jokes about death…etc. By being aware of these signs is the first step in helping to save lives from suffering from depression and/or depression. Additionally, for a larger solution, I am implementing a change in curriculum of schools all over the world that addresses this issue and help make the students aware that it is okay to not be okay. It is key to allow young adults to know how to properly cope with these feelings and to seek help before it is too late. 

While social media has contributed greatly to increasing our advancement as a country, it has simultaneously brought about more problems for young adults by providing more factors that allow for feelings of self-doubt. Along with self-doubt the rise in social media has also been proven to lead to feelings of inadequacy, insecurity, self-loathing and anxiety. All of these feelings are the same that contribute to depression, the leading cause of suicide in all ages. The feelings that stem from negative attributes from social media often spiral off into depression and related eating disorders. When these disorders begin to spiral out of control, suicide is often looked at as the cause. Because all these feelings spiral off one another, it is important to attempt to stop it at the root of the problem which in this case is the rise of social media. Though stopping suicide as a whole is not likely, we as individuals can take small steps in helping prevent them for further happening by simply being aware. Knowing the signs and advocating for body positivity via social media are just a few of the small steps that you can take to make a huge difference.

 