Social Media and the Mental Well-Being of Teenagers in Australia
Hi writer,
Thanks for helping me. I have attached the Issue Brief: Template (example) and Frequently Asked Questions for you. Please see attachment. In this paper, you need to provide details on studies and synthesise. Please let me know if you have any questions.
Task description:
In this assessment, you will imagine you are a social psychologist working in a community development team within a not-for-profit organisation. The organisation’s name is CBO Australia, and it has offices and staff spread across all States and Territories of Australia - the head office is in Brisbane (where you are based). The organisation’s purpose is to address important social issues within Australian communities (including metropolitan and regional areas) by implementing evidence based programs.
As part of your team’s annual planning process, you have been asked to identify one social issue that you believe your organisation should begin to address in the coming year and present an 'Issue Brief' (a short business style report) to your team which describes how a social psychological concept/principle is likely to underpin the issue and, therefore, represents a target for influencing change. Through synthesis of appropriate research, you will suggest that the strong association between the social psychological concept and the social issues means that it represents a pertinent target for change and for program development by your team.
What you need to do:
STEP 1: IDENTIFY A RELEVANT SOCIAL ISSUE: To identify a relevant social issue for the focus of your Issue Brief, you should find an article in a reputable Australian source such as newspapers, magazines or websites. This article should speak to the relevance/importance of the social issue in contemporary Australian society. The article should not come from an academic journal. The social issue that you choose may be relevant to a single community or geographical area or to Australia more broadly (remember, your organisation covers all States and Territories). For example, the issue may be relevant to metropolitan areas or extend to regional areas of Australia as well. Alternatively, you may select an issue which is only relevant to regional Queensland or a particular regional community. The issue could also be relevant only to a specific target group (e.g., youth in regional communities).
STEP 2: SELECT ONE SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGICAL CONCEPT/PRINCIPLE: A key aim of the task is to demonstrate your ability to bridge the gap between theoretical concepts/principles based in social psychology and their use to understand and address social issues. While there may be many social psychological concepts that could be associated with the social issue you have chosen, you are required to select only one for your report. The social psychological concept that you choose must be STRONGLY related to the social issue you have chosen to focus on. The strength of the relationship should be evident within your report and within your argument. As a simple example, you may choose binge drinking by young adults in rural communities (as the social issue) and focus on subjective norms as the social psychological concept that is influencing the social issue and which, therefore, represents a logical focal point for influencing change.
STEP 3: WRITE A SHORT BUSINESS STYLE REPORT: Within the Issue Brief, you will briefly describe the social issue and define the social psychological concept. You will then use current and relevant research/literature to explain how the social psychological concept/principle underpins or is strongly associated with the social issue, drawing attention to the fact that, if this social psychological concept influences the social issue, then it also represents a target for addressing the issue or influencing positive change. This literature/research based section should be the most substantial part of your report. You will be highlighting for your team members the importance of this social psychological concept as a basis for program development in the coming year (remember, you are providing the report to guide your team's planning). Please note that the task does NOT require you to actually formulate a program/initiative to address the issue. You may, however, include intervention based research which demonstrates the success of programs/strategies which have focused on the social psychological concept/principle. While you may use one review article (e.g., systematic review or meta analysis), most of your sources should be scholarly research articles pertaining to independent studies and you should capture recent literature.
We understand that you will only be able to ‘hypothesise’ the social psychological concepts underlying the social issue in the Australian context (you may not know for certain without undertaking Australian research). However, you should consider the literature thoroughly and select a social psychological concept for which there is a strong evidence base demonstrating it's relationship to the social issue.
Your hypothetical work team is comprised of a variety of practitioners with expertise in social work and community development but you are the only staff member with a psychology background. As your team members' knowledge of social psychology and research is quite limited, you should adjust your writing accordingly.
Additional information and guidance will be provided in the tutorial program.
Style and Formatting:
The style of the document should resemble that of a brief business report. With the exception of the title page, in-text references and the reference list, which must follow APA7 conventions, you may deviate from APA7 styling. You are free to select different fonts and heading styles but your document must have a professional look. Please use 1.15 line spacing. More information will be provided in tutorials.
Your report should include the main components found in the Issue Brief Template that is provided (refer to attachment).
Submission requirements:
Please attach an APA style title page to your business report. You should also provide a link to the article that confirms the relevance of the social issue within the Australian context (include the link at the end of your report) or include a copy of the article as an appendix.
You are advised that copies of de-identified work may be retained for the purposes of quality assurance in teaching, bench-marking for grade allocation, and course accreditation processes. Should you not wish to have your work retained for these purposes, please advise the Unit Coordinator.
Identify a social issue from a reputable source:
Organisation websites (e.g., Refugee council of Australia, Carers Qld, Regional Councils, State/Federal Gov)
Newspapers – national, state or local
Magazines (e.g., InPsych)
Others? If in doubt, check with tutor
The conversation Relevant to Australia
Metropolitan, regional/rural, or both
Academic sources should be from within the last 5-10 years where available.
Please check the attachment and job task before you start writing. Let me know if you have any questions.
Social media and mental health.
Name
Instructor
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Date
Social media and mental health.
Social media has transformed the way teenagers communicate, interact, and share experiences in Australia. It has become a prevalent part of their daily lives, providing them with a platform to connect with friends and family, share their thoughts and ideas, and explore new interests. However, the rise of social media usage among young people has raised concerns about its impact on mental health. Research has shown that excessive social media use can lead to increased feelings of loneliness, anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem among teenagers. This report will examine the relationship between social media and the mental well-being of teenagers in Australia, focusing on social comparison theory, which suggests that social media use can lead to unhealthy comparisons with others, leading to negative mental health outcomes. The aim is to provide a comprehensive understanding of the potential risks associated with social media use among teenagers and identify strategies to promote positive mental health in this age group.
Recent studies have highlighted concerns about the potential harm caused by the regular use of social media on mental health. Such harm includes increased levels of anxiety, depression, and related problems (Kross et al., 2013; Rosen et al., 2013). The negative impact of social media on mental well-being is closely linked to social comparison theory. This theory proposes that people tend to assess themselves by comparing themselves to others, especially those they perceive as similar. The constant exposure to messages and images from peers on social media platforms can lead to heightened social comparisons, resulting in feelings of inadequacy, low self-esteem, anxiety, and depression, particularly among adolescents who are still developing their sense of self-worth and shaping their identities (Vogel et al., 2014; Fardouly et al., 2015).
Several research studies have established a link between social media-driven social comparison and negative mental health consequences such as decreased self-esteem, increased body dissatisfaction, and poor mental health (Fardouly et al., 2018; Vogel et al., 2014). Moreover, findings suggest that teenagers who devote more time to social media tend to compare themselves more, which can aggravate these adverse effects (Fardouly et al., 2018). These findings imply that social media use could be a significant contributing factor to the higher rates of mental health issues observed among Australian adolescents.
Earlier studies have indicated that the promotion of media literacy skills could aid in lessening the harmful impacts of social media on mental health (Manago et al., 2015). By teaching young people to critically evaluate the messages and images they encounter on social media, they can recognize how these messages can be manipulated, leading to a reduction in the impact of social comparison on young people. Developing a critical stance towards the messages encountered on social media and questioning the authenticity of online content can also help young people become more media literate (Manago et al., 2015).
To promote self-esteem and overall well-being among young people, it can be beneficial to encourage positive forms of social comparison, including upward social comparison. This type of comparison entails measuring oneself against someone more accomplished or successful, which can evoke feelings of inspiration and motivation instead of inadequacy. Research has suggested that emphasizing upward social comparison could serve as a useful strategy for reducing the negative effects of social media on mental health, as per Vogel et al. (2014).
Highlighting the importance of media literacy skills and promoting positive forms of social comparison is crucial in mitigating the negative effects of social media on mental health. To address this issue, educating young individuals on how to critically evaluate the messages and images they encounter online is essential. This will result in a more realistic perception of realit...