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Research Team
Research Team
Bridget Sullivan
Bridget Sullivan
Undecided
Minor in Art and Architecture History
Oana Godeanu-Kenworthy
Oana Godeanu-Kenworthy
Department of Global and Intercultural Studies
Background
Background
During the Fall 2025 semester, I took an Honors course titled "Perfect World: Imagining the Good Society". During this class, we focused on the origins of Utopianism and 20th century Utopian texts and films. We read books like The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood as well as Brave New World by Aldous Huxley in order to understand the era's hopes in creating a good society for all. For the class' final project, we were tasked to research our own vision for a Utopian society, which is what my research focuses on below.
Introduction
Introduction
Over the past 15 years, a new crisis has emerged for teenagers across the globe: a decline in mental health. In 2023, 40% of high school students are said to have felt “feelings of sadness or hopelessness,” and 20% of students considered attempting suicide. Mental health rates are at an all-time high, with many researchers correlating the increase in severity of mental health symptoms to social media usage. At the same time that mental health among teens has worsened, social media use has spiked. In 2012, the number of teens who went on social media multiple times a day was a third; now that number is over two-thirds.
Changing this number starts with the regulation of social media. Social media companies (Instagram, TikTok, etc.) need to work to self-regulate their sites by creating an age requirement and time limit in order to decrease mental health rates of depression and anxiety. Parents also need to be more aware of the effects social media can have on their kids and communicate those risks to them. Mental health problems affect not only the individual but the community as a whole, so action must be taken in several different spheres in order to better address teens’ mental health issues and society itself. Creating stability, maximizing happiness, and encouraging social cohesion are aspects of this proposal that would make society more utopian and a better place to live for all.
Key Findings
Key Findings
Alana Papageorgiou, a public health researcher committed to learning about social media content, conducted research that was centered on the ways social media content influences teen girls' perception of themselves. She focused on how seeing sexualized images of women online impacts girls’ mental health, explaining that “...they may internalize an observer’s perspective as a primary view of themselves and their body as an object valued for its appearance, known as ‘self-objectification’. A recent systematic review suggests that self-objectification is associated with depressive symptoms and disordered eating among girls aged 18 years and younger.”
More on the complications of social media content, Jacqueline Nesi researched how substance use content affects teenagers, observing that teens “may be more likely to engage in these behaviors themselves.” Whether it is substance use, negative body image, or just honing in on others’ lives online, social media content instills bad habits in teens that can and will affect their mental health in negative ways.
Sakshi Prasad did research on the issues of problematic social media use (PSMU), stating how, “PSMU can be a predictor of depression and anxiety among internet users, and can be associated with feelings of unhappiness, negative affect, a lack of self-esteem, and stress-related symptoms.” The overuse of social media can create an addiction-like effect for teens when online, causing additional stress. Problematic social media use is fairly common: the World Health Organization found that in 2022, “More than 1 in 10 adolescents (11%) showed signs of problematic social media behaviour, struggling to control their use and experiencing negative consequences.” This problem of social media overuse is widespread and is affecting teens all over the world.
Conclusion
Conclusion
Social media companies need to regulate the age minimum of who can use their sites, as well as the amount of time to be spent on their sites, in order to improve the mental health of teenagers. Parents also need to have more discussions with teens themselves about the impact social media has on mental health, so they can be better-informed and change unhealthy habits online. This proposal would benefit millions of teens experiencing mental health issues and prevent the increase in mental health problems.
The following is an image of various social media apps (Pinterest, Instagram, Youtube, Facebook, etc.) displayed on an electronic device.
NACE Career Readiness Competencies
NACE Career Readiness Competencies
Technology: This was my first time conducting research, so I had to use new technologies online and learned a lot about assessing online sources. Overall, I now understand online databases as well as primary, secondary, and tertiary sources a lot better after conducting this research.
Critical Thinking: I learned how to gather sources and analyze the information within them to completely understand my topic. I also learned to work on this research while multitasking work for other classes, so I developed my understanding of time management.
Professionalism: While developing my research, I always showed up to class prepared to learn more about the topic. I stayed very organized with my work, making sure I was writing down sources and points to then articulate later in my research paper. I also learned to pay more attention to literary detail in my writing, in order for it to be grammatically correct and enhance the professionalism of my research.
References
References
Abi-Jaoude, Elia, et al. “Smartphones, Social Media Use and Youth Mental Health.” CMAJ : Canadian Medical Association Journal = Journal de l’Association Medicale Canadienne, vol. 192, no. 6, Feb. 2020, pp. E136–41. EBSCOhost, https://doi.org/10.1503/cmaj.190434.
Nesi, Jacqueline. “The Impact of Social Media on Youth Mental Health: Challenges and Opportunities.” North Carolina Medical Journal, vol. 81, no. 2, Mar. 2020, pp. 116–21. EBSCOhost, https://doi.org/10.18043/ncm.81.2.116.
Papageorgiou, Alana, et al. “Sexualized Images on Social Media and Adolescent Girls’ Mental Health: Qualitative Insights from Parents, School Support Service Staff and Youth Mental Health Service Providers.” International Journal of Environmental Research & Public Health, vol. 20, no. 1, Jan. 2023, p. 433. EBSCOhost, https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20010433.
Prasad, Sakshi, et al. “Anxiety and Depression amongst Youth as Adverse Effects of Using Social Media : A Review.” Annals of Medicine and Surgery, vol. 85, no. 8, 2023, pp. 3974–81, https://doi.org/10.1097/MS9.0000000000001066.
US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Poor Mental Health Effects Adolescent Well-being.” CDC, 29 November 2024, https://www.cdc.gov/healthy-youth/mental-health/ . Accessed 1 December 2025.
World Health Organization Media Release. “Teens, screens and mental health.” World Health Organization (WHO), 25 September 2024, https://www.who.int/europe/news/item/25-09-2024-teens--screens-and-mental-health. Accessed 10 November 2025.
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