Investigative Field Essay Revision

 How Social Media Comparison Affects Mental Health in Young Adults

Addison Kassof

ENC2135-00024: Research, Genre, and Context

Florida State University

Professor Bradburn

7/14/25

Introduction

    Nowadays, it seems like the lives of young adults revolve around social media. It seems

beneficial at first, helping them learn, grow, and stay connected with others. However, it also

shows them unrealistic people and their lives, forming pressure to look and act a certain way. As

they scroll through the highlights of friends and influencers’ lives, many young adults begin to

feel less than. This comparison often leads to mental health issues like anxiety, low self-esteem,

and depression. Because young adults are still developing their identities, they are especially

sensitive to what they see online. This essay explores how comparison through social media

affects the mental health of young adults.

Social Comparison and Mental Health Issues

    Studies show that social media can be more harmful when people use it to compare

themselves to others. Teens who use social media to compare and seek feedback are more likely

to feel depressed over time (Nesi & Prinstein, 2015). This is especially true when they focus on

their flaws after seeing other people’s posts (Feinstein et al., 2013). The more often young adults

compare themselves to idealized content, the more likely they are to feel worse. A study of over

50 different research papers found that people who used social media in unhealthy ways, like for

comparison, were more likely to feel anxious or depressed (Levin, 2022). A lot of content online

also shows exaggerated success and beauty, which can make people feel like their own lives

aren’t good enough (U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory, 2023).

Rumination and Emotional Impact

    Comparing yourself to others does not just cause a moment of sadness. It can lead to a

pattern of negative thinking that is hard to break. This is called rumination, and it means

replaying the same upsetting thoughts over and over. People who ruminate are more likely to feel

depressed (Feinstein et al., 2013). When someone compares themselves to others online and feels

like they are not good enough, those thoughts can stick around for a long time. This can lead

them to focus only on their flaws. The more they do it, the worse they feel. Research shows that

social media can lead to these harmful thought patterns, especially when people are constantly

comparing themselves (Samra et al., 2022). These thought loops can make it hard to regulate

emotions and feel balanced. This may be even harder for young adults, who are still figuring out

their identities and may already feel unsure of themselves.

Not everyone reacts the same way to comparison. Some people may feel it more strongly

based on things like popularity, gender, or self-esteem (Nesi & Prinstein, 2015). For example,

someone who feels pressure to be liked may be more upset when their post gets fewer likes than

someone else’s. Girls may also face more pressure to look a certain way, which could make them

more likely to compare their appearance to others online. This repeated exposure to ideal beauty

and success can lead to deeper insecurities. Judging yourself over and over, especially during a

time of identity development, can damage mental well-being. Rumination is a key reason why

these comparisons are so harmful. They do not just cause short-term stress. They change the way

people think about themselves.

Compulsive Use and the Comparison Cycle

    Another issue is how often and how intensely people use social media. The more time

people spend scrolling, the more likely they are to compare themselves to others and feel worse.

Those who have trouble staying off social media or feel like they need to check it all the time are

more likely to experience mental health struggles (Samra et al., 2022). Constant use can make it

harder to manage emotions and feel in control (Levin, 2022). Some people may even turn to

social media to escape negative feelings, only to end up feeling worse afterward. This creates a

cycle where someone uses social media to feel better but ends up feeling more anxious or

depressed.

    A big part of this cycle comes from how social media platforms are designed. Many

platforms are built to keep users engaged. They show content that is most likely to get attention,

which usually means idealized or popular posts. This means users are constantly being shown

content that encourages comparison. The U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory (2023) says this type

of design leads to more harmful comparisons and more time spent online. It becomes harder to

avoid content that makes people feel insecure. Teens who feel addicted to their screens are also

more likely to report serious issues like depression, anxiety, or even suicidal thoughts (Halstead,

2025). This shows that the problem is not just how much time people spend online, but what

kind of content they are seeing and how they respond to it. The cycle of constant use and

constant comparison can be especially dangerous for young people.

Growing Concern from Mental Health Experts

    Experts are starting to focus more on how online comparison may affect young people’s

mental health. Social media is now considered one of the factors in the youth mental health crisis

(U.S. Surgeon General, 2023). Teen suicide rates and mental health struggles have been rising,

and many researchers believe screen addiction and comparison may be part of the cause

(Halstead, 2025). This shows that it is no longer just a personal issue. It is something that affects

many people and deserves national attention.

Researchers have also pointed out that social media makes it very easy to compare

yourself to others. Samra et al. (2022) explain that the way social media is built—showing

pictures, videos, likes, and comments—encourages users to compare themselves whether they

want to or not. These comparisons happen quickly and often without the user realizing. Even

when people try to avoid them, it can be hard not to feel affected. Levin (2022) found that these

effects are seen across many different apps and groups of people. This shows that the issue is

widespread. While the level of impact may be different for everyone, the problem exists for a

large number of young people. As a result, there have been more conversations about what can

be done to reduce the harm.

Possible Responses and Areas for Further Study

    Even though this issue is serious, there are also possible solutions. Some researchers

believe that teaching people how to notice and stop negative thinking could help (Feinstein et al.,

2013). If people learn how to recognize when they are starting to ruminate or compare

themselves too much, they may be able to interrupt the pattern. Teaching teens to use social

media in healthier ways could also help (Department of Health and Human Services, 2023). If

teens understand how social media works and why it can be harmful, they may be less likely to

believe everything they see or feel bad about themselves after scrolling.

There are also some ideas for changing the way platforms work. For example, the U.S.

Surgeon General’s Advisory (2023) suggests hiding public like counts, changing how posts are

shown, or adding tools that remind users to take breaks. These small changes could help reduce

the pressure to compare. Parents and teachers can help by talking with teens about how social

media makes them feel and encouraging healthy habits (Halstead, 2025). Setting screen time

limits, encouraging breaks, and checking in about emotions can go a long way. More research is

needed to know which solutions work best, but there is hope that with the right support, social

media can become less harmful and more balanced in young people’s lives.

Conclusion

    Research shows that comparing yourself to others on social media is linked to more

anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem in young adults (Feinstein et al., 2013; Nesi &Kassof 7

Prinstein, 2015; Levin, 2022). These effects may be even stronger when people get stuck in

negative thought cycles or use social media compulsively (Samra et al., 2022; U.S. Surgeon

General’s Advisory, 2023). While not all social media use is harmful, young people may be

especially at risk because they are still figuring out who they are. Some possible ways to reduce

harm include teaching media literacy, adjusting how social media is designed, and involving

parents and teachers in guiding healthy habits (HHS, 2023; Halstead, 2025). Social media

comparison is more than just a moment of feeling bad. It can have lasting effects on how people

view themselves and their place in the world. Because of this, it is important to take these

concerns seriously and keep learning how to protect young people’s mental health in a digital

age.

References

Department of Health and Human Services. (2023). Social media and youth mental health: The

U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/sg-youth-mental-health-social-media-advisory.pdf

Feinstein, B. A., Hershenberg, R., Bhatia, V., Latack, J. A., Meuwly, N., & Davila, J. (2013).

Negative social comparison on Facebook and depressive symptoms: Rumination as a

mechanism. Psychology of Popular Media Culture, 2(3), 161–170.

https://doi.org/10.1037/a0033111

Halstead, A. (2025). The digital mind trap: How screen addiction impacts teen mental health.

The Atlantic Monthly, 335(1), 42–49.

Levin, M. E. (2022). The relationship between social media use and mental health among

adolescents: A meta-analysis. Journal of Adolescent Health, 70(6), 873–884.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2021.12.012

Nesi, J., & Prinstein, M. J. (2015). Using social media for social comparison and feedback-

seeking: Gender and popularity moderate associations with depressive symptoms.

Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 43(8), 1427–1438.

https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-015-0020-0

Samra, C. K., Lawrence, H. R., & Zimmer-Gembeck, M. J. (2022). Problematic social media use

and social comparison: Associations with mental health symptoms and emotional

regulation difficulties. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 25(12), 747–

753. https://doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2021.0237