RAB Source Entry-Miah Segura

My research question is: How does social media affect mental health in young girls?  

My research question is how does social media affect mental health in young girls? This topic interests me because I am now a young woman who was using social media daily at a very young age. As I continue to navigate social media, I’ve noticed the high influence social media has had on my mental health. I’ve experienced both negative and positive things on social media since my teenage years. I already know social media is a complicated cyber world to navigate and the addiction the media world creates. I know there’s a lot of social media users who have violated and abused their media platforms which has caused harm to many individuals. Some points that I plan to explore and find out more about are the awareness young girls are receiving about their mental health when using social media, are there restrictions young girls have on social media? What is being done to keep mental health a priority for young girls who are actively using social media? 

Part #1: MLA Citation 

Bennett, Jessica. “Being 13.” The New York Times, 20 Sept. 2023. NYTimes.com, https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/09/20/well/family/13-year-old-girls-social-media-self-esteem.html. 

Part #2: Summary 

In this featured article “Being 13”, Jessica Bennett tells us that mental health in girls is highly influenced by social media. According to the writer, the effects of social media on teenagers have been long term. Adolescent girls have struggled with depression and anxiety a lot more than their boy peers and have grown strongly during the pandemic. Bennett mentions the “mental load” that both women and girls face that cause burnout at a young age. This “mental load” is constantly putting girls to high standards like being pretty and kind enough on all social media platforms. The author also mentions the feeling of insecurity rising when adolescent girls don’t have access to social media. Due to the lack of access to social media young girls cannot relate to certain conversation topics and they are left out. In addition, Bennett mentions an adolescent girl can have a love-hate relationship with social media which negatively affects their mood but still want to feel connected to their friends. 

Part #3: Reflection 

This article has made me realize how important it is to have supervision over adolescent girls who are actively using social media. Being supervised by your parents can be awkward and can cause trust issues between parents and adolescents. I believe both parents and adolescents can benefit from drawing boundaries and limits when it comes to social media. This allows adolescents to realize social media takes an unhealthy toll on their mental health. The moment my mother placed boundaries on me and only allowed me to use Instagram and Snapchat 1 hour a day was the best thing that happened to me. This limit encouraged me to engage in other more beneficial activities such as reading and going on walks. Social media is a harmful environment no matter if girls are being mean to each other on the internet they still crave that attention and use of social media. I can agree that social media gives young girls a sense of comfort and acts like a distraction. The only comfort it brings me is being able to listen to music. 

Part #4: Rhetorical Analysis 

Jessica Bennett has written a feature piece. The purpose is to inform. The tone was informative and sympathetic. The targeted audience is the general reading public, parents, and adolescent girls. The author appeals to pathos as she recounts the lives of young girls navigating the negative effects of social media. The New York Times is a reliable source because it has been the most prominent newspapers worldwide and has been trusted by many for over 150 years. The New York Times has a worldwide readership that has won 132 Pulitzer Prizes. Jessica Bennett is an American journalist, author, and editor for The New York Times since 2017. Bennet writes on gender issues, politics, and culture. She also teaches journalism at NYU and the author of “Feminist Fight Club” and “This is 18.” 

Part #5: Notable Quotables  

“The long-term effects of social media on the teenage brain have not yet been defined, much less proven-which isn’t to say it’s all bad. But adolescent girls gave long struggled with depression and anxiety at disproportionate rates compared with their male peers, a reality that metastasized during the pandemic” (Bennett). 

“In other words, adolescents are moving into this messy digital world at a time when they desire social attention most—and are not yet wired for restraint” (Bennett). 

“For adults, is become common to name the things that make women more likely to face burnout and stress. Many of us talk about this “mental load.” But girls have a mental load, too- in facing the age-old pressure to be good enough, pretty enough, kind enough, popular enough, but now on multiple platforms, too” (Bennett). 

“At the root of these conflicts are the issues teenage girls have always faced: insecurity, figuring out their place in the social hierarchy, puberty, hormones, trying on different identities” (Bennett). 

“‘The phone is such a love hate,’ said her mom, Erin. “Without it she can’t communicate with friends and feel connected, but it really impacts her mood” (Bennett).