“Check out on social media, check in on your mental health.”- Ine Grace. Mental Health problems across the world are skyrocketing with the leading cause being social media. School districts in 32 US states have sued media companies, including TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, and Facebook. They believe that there is harmful content on these apps, this content is leading to eating disorders, poor sleep quality, depression, anxiety, and even suicide. Many companies like Meta are getting blamed, or accused for the mental health their social media companies are causing. Lots of people are wondering who to blame. Is it the parent's fault? The teenager's fault? Maybe there are better ways for Parents or Guardians to prevent their teens from falling into an addiction to scrolling. I think everybody is to blame, parents can monitor their teens and teens can notice something is happening, then get rid of it. There are many sides and difficult situations about this matter. 
First, media companies. In January 2024 in Washington D.C., CEO(Chief Executive Officer) of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg claimed that science hasn't found social media use to cause harm to teens' mental health. Many people don’t know what is happening with social media. They also wonder what the media platforms are going to do to help these situations. “What Are the Social Media Platforms Doing to Support Users' Mental Health?, the article was published on Social Day”. Social Day states that Instagram is trying to tackle online abuse and bullying, In 2021 they announced a couple of changes in their app. Some of these include disabling accounts if they send abusive messages and working with law enforcement by providing legal action against hate speech. Tools have been recently provided for users that help them filter comments, and messages, and turn off DMs for people who don't follow them. Many social media companies are doing the same, like Snapchat and Facebook are addressing the mental health and wellbeing of their users. TikTok announced resources to help prevent and support eating disorders and mental health while adding tools to promote kindness. Many of these tools being added aren’t enough, and many parents are unhappy with how social media is affecting their kids.
Second, parents. “Explicit content, time-wasting are key social media worries for parents of U.S. teens” by Risa Gelles-Watnick published December 15th, 2022. Says that parents are concerned about how social media could negatively affect their teens. 46% of parents are worried about their children being exposed to explicit content. 47% of parents are afraid that it will lead to depression and anxiety. Why don’t parents just say “no” to social media? I always ask myself that, and the only answer I can come up with is that we want social media to fit in. During COVID-19, everything went digital and we all relied on electronics. That could be why we are in such a digital world. Here are some ideas on what parents could do to help prevent their teens from scrolling into the wrong area. Parents could monitor what their kids watch and how much time they spend on it. They could also say “You have been watching TikTok a lot lately. How about we take a break from it” There are resources parents can use. Like, in settings, there is a screen time feature. After reading this article from KidsHealth called “Mental Health & Social Media Use: What Parents Can Do” reviewed by Leah J. Orchinik, Ph.D. in March 2024, I found that it is very important for parents to make sure their kid is ready for this big responsibility. Talk to them about social media, set rules, respect their feelings, and set good examples of what parents can do. They also give ideas like turning screen time off an hour before bed. They also say to look out for warning signs like being upset, isolating themselves, and withdrawing themselves from friends and family. Many teens just pull out their phones when they are in uncomfortable situations, it “acts” like they are doing something. So many Teens use social media as an escape route.
Third, Teenager's media use is increasing a lot. Streamers, YouTubers, and Tiktokers are making a living from our constant scrolling. Two-thirds of teens report using TikTok, followed by roughly six in ten teens, say they use Instagram (62%) and Snapchat (59%). Teens will feel left out if they don’t know the newest dances or songs. Teens want to fit in and want to be socially popular, so they make their social presence as large as possible.  If someone asks teens many of them will say that social media is positive. According to “Teens and Social Media” " by Emily A. Vogels and Risa Gelles-Watnick, published on April 24, 2023, there are four positive experiences most teens report, “80% say they feel more connected with their friends' lives, 71% state that they have a place to show their creative side, 67% feel like they have people who can support them through tough times, and lastly, 58% feel more accepted.” Many teens enjoy social media and don't want it to affect their mental health negatively. Only 23% of teens who use Social Media say that it makes them feel worse about their own lives, which leads to more negativity. When they watch videos from content creators, we think they are so much “prettier”, ”richer”, and have such a “perfect life”. When teens are watching from the other side of the screen that is what it feels and looks like. Many social media companies can’t control this. 
Lastly, Social Media has a lot of content creators. Tiktokers, Streamers, Bloggers, etc. Are they making a living off us, when we are scrolling, watching their videos, liking, and commenting? Truth is yes, yes they are. Content creators also make money by sponsoring companies, and advertising their products, according to “How to Get Paid and Make Money as a Content Creator”, by Marta Biino, published on January 23, 2024,  content creators, can make a profit in the following 3 ways: follower count, audience engagement, and the type of content they post. So our constant scrolling is audience engagement, which the more we scroll leads to more likes and views, which then will lead to more money content creators get. 
In conclusion, social media affects everyone, even people who don’t use social media, because teens are surrounded by people who do. There are many more sides than we thought. Like there is an idea about banning TikTok going around right now, many countries like the U.S. banned TikTok on federal government-owned devices. So finally, social media can be positive, it doesn’t always have to be harming teens negatively. Media companies are attempting to improve their app. Today I talked about the sides of Parents, Teens, and Media companies affecting teen’s mental health. So my advice to you is to “Check out on social media, check in on your mental health.”- Ine Grace.