College
Buchtel College of Arts and Sciences
Date of Last Revision
2023-05-05 19:14:01
Major
Psychology
Honors Course
3750:498
Number of Credits
2
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Date of Expected Graduation
Fall 2022
Abstract
As social media use becomes more prevalent for teenagers and late adolescents alike, researchers continue to analyze its associations with mental health and social connectedness. Most studies in this area take a correlational, self-report approach. However, correlational, self-report research neglects to assess cause-and-effect relationships, thus rendering it difficult to ascertain whether social media use causes changes in users’ well-being or if social media users already differ on certain variables prior to their use. After analyzing previous studies, this paper discusses their limitations and proposes future research to assess the potential causal relationship of social media use with mental health. The proposal addresses gaps in the literature by calling for experimental research on adolescents’ social media use.
Research Sponsor
Charles A. Waehler
First Reader
Ginelle Wolfe
Second Reader
Emily Thornton
Honors Faculty Advisor
Charles A. Waehler
Proprietary and/or Confidential Information
No
Recommended Citation
Porter, Megan, "The Impact of Social Media on Mental Health of Adolescents: A Research Proposal" (2022). Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects. 1623.
https://ideaexchange.uakron.edu/honors_research_projects/1623