ONLINE EDUCATION GUIDE

GOOGLE

Should social media platforms have stricter guidelines to protect the psychological well being of its users?

Start

Background

Background

About

Why its important

Our research question is “Should social media platforms have stricter guidelines to protect the psychological well being of its users?” The issue of networking sites, in other words social media, impacting the well being of its users can be easily seen or observed by the public because it is something people see and use often. Demonstrating that there is evidence and first hand examples of how social media can affect the mental health of a person. People also get to see the guidelines and restrictions as they use these platforms.

Therefore, the question “Should social media platforms have stricter guidelines to protect the psychological well being of its users?” is a significantly important question to research because social media is globally used and therefore affects society as a whole. Meaning that social media has an impact on the mental health of millions of users all over the world.

Background

Who is affected

Similar Issues

Similar issues have come up recently in the past couple of years. As social media grows so does its effect on society this means that nowadays social media has become a daily part of numerous people's schedules. Spending so much time frequently on social media can take a massive toll on the mental health of people. In the last decade or so social media has affected people negatively such as causing them to be broken mentally but has also helped positively help others.

People that are affected by this are the users on any type of social media platform. This may be a wide range from kids, teenagers, and adults. It may also affect the people that spend a longer time on social media vs someone who isn’t on it as much.

Section I

Arguement #1

virtual and face-to-face

Attempts to Solve Issues

Networking Sites

Research says...

. There have been attempts to fix these issues, however, there are always new problems. In some instances, people have come across an account that may have a picture that belongs to them. They do have the option to report it, but sometimes Instagram takes a while to check these reviews. Most of the time, these reviews are inaccurate. One’s personal account may even get deleted for stuff that they didn’t even do.

Two major social media platforms that have shown issues in the past when it comes to issue of regulating the content that is available to the users are X, formally known as Twitter, and Instagram.

. According to US Davis Health and Growthoid, they express how social media platforms,specifically instagram, should be more regulated due to it affecting the mental health of the users. For instance, Growthoid states that teenagers have experienced things such as “...cyberbullying (59%), Offensive name-calling (42%), Spreading of false rumors (32%), Receiving explicit images they didn’t ask for (25%), Physical threats (16%), Having explicit images of them shared without their consent (7%).” Additionally, US Davis Health states “Social media can negatively impact our overall wellbeing by fueling anxiety, depression, loneliness and FOMO (fear or missing out).”

Limitations

Evidence

. I believe that there weren’t any limitations to this research. My team and I were able to find the sources needed that matched our reasons and supported our first argument.

.Having more regulation may help the user psychologically. Since the users wouldn't have access to certain content, they wouldn’t be protected from such things. Not only that, social media platforms should have stricter requirements in order to join the app. This way the people joining won’t be too young.

Section IIl

Arguement #2

Attempts to Fix Issues

Evidence Implications

Keytake Aways

The evidence from this research has many implications. Politically, the increase in polarization can deepen societal divisions and influence political stability. Economically, Twitter might face pressures to improve user experience and manage misinformation, which could impact its business model. Psychologically, the study shows that Twitter can contribute to mental health issues by increasing feelings of frustration and sadness.

Research by Victoria Oldemburga de Mello, Felix Cheung, and Michael Inzlicht from the University of Toronto found that using Twitter often leads to more negative feelings, such as sadness and frustration. Their study showed that Twitter use can make people’s political views more extreme and increase feelings of outrage. They collected responses from 252 users over a week, totaling 6,218 reports. This showed a decline in the well-being and showed political polarization linked to Twitter use.

To address these issues, Twitter (now X) has introduced features to help users control their experience. Users can filter notifications to avoid unwanted interactions and use the "Show less often" option to reduce the frequency of certain posts. These tools aim to limit exposure to upsetting content and manage the emotional impact of using the platform.

Virtual teaching assumes what some call maturity.

Impact

The research focuses on short-term effects of Twitter use, without examining long-term impacts or other factors that might influence users' emotions. It also does not fully address why some users may experience more extreme reactions than others.

20.00 h

That is, the dedication you must have, to do the readings, reflections...

20.00 h

essays, work and other proposed activities.

20.04 h

A tip: be clear about your goals and aspirations..

20.20 h

Conclusion/Solution

Should social media platforms have stricter guidelines to protect the psychological well being of its users?

Compromise

Conclusion

Proposed Solution

we view these steps as a compromise on the current situation due to the fact, defined standards on inappropriate content help ensure transparency on what is and isn't allowed for its users. By using other websites for third-party monitoring, bias may be avoided and justice is upheld. Users can customize what they specifically want to view on their page with user control. In addition, an easy-to-follow appeals procedure ensures that the likelihood of inappropriate behavior is minimized. This strategy addresses issues from all sides of the debate while striking a balance between user protection and freedom.

Clearly defined policies on inappropriate content, impartial monitoring through the use of external websites to oversee content, user control—allowing users to choose what appears on their feed—and a simple and fair appeals procedure for all users are all important features that could be a soloution to this issue at hand.

This result was reached using data from reliable websites, such as the Pew Research Center, which demonstrates research on the impact of social media on mental health and highlights the ways in which cyberbullying and social comparison can cause anxiety and low self-esteem. As well as OpenNet Inititiave (ONI) which provides research analysis on internet filtering and surveillance including social media restrictions.

Barriers and Obstacles

Framework

Our research was brefly inspired by The Social Comparison Theory written in 1954 by Leon Festinger.This theory suggests, people judge their worth by comparing themselves with others, a tendency that is amplified by social media and may have detrimental impacts on mental health.

The following are potential roadblocks that the solution to our research may encounter: privacy issues arising from third-party data monitoring, which may give rise to worries about users' privacy and data security User reaction because these stricter standards can be perceived by some as censorship, which could cause the platforms to decline legal difficulties resulting from various national laws governing media censorship and free expression. Cost of implementation since it could be costly and resource-intensive for platforms to set up these new restrictions.

Works Cited

Parker, K. (2022, June 28). Americans’ complex views on gender identity and transgender issues. Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2022/06/28/americans-complex-views-on-gender-identity-and-transgender-issues/ Faris, R. (2010, November 1). OpenNet Initiative Internet Censorship Data . Home. https://opennet.net/sites/opennet.net/files/README.txt Rules and policies. x. (n.d.). https://help.x.com/en/rules-and-policies Login • instagram. (n.d.). https://help.instagram.com/477434105621119 Day, C. (2024b, May 22). 6 instagram rules you should know about. Agorapulse. https://www.agorapulse.com/blog/instagram-rules-info/ UC Davis Health. (2024, May 10). Social Media’s impact on our mental health and tips to use it safely. health. https://health.ucdavis.edu/blog/cultivating-health/social-medias-impact-our-mental-health-and-tips-to-use-it-safely/2024/05#:~:text=Social%20media%20can%20negatively%20impact,in%20teens%20and%20young%20adults. Lane, A. (2024, February 24). Instagram Mental Health Statistics 2024: Is it bad for you?. Growthoid. https://growthoid.com/instagram-mental-health-statistics/

Thank You!

Read the complete post at the following link