Research proposal

Reber 1

Sam Reber

Mary Bodelson

English 1120/1121-05

October 25, 2021

Research Proposal

1. My Argumentative Research Paper will discuss the reasons why too much social media can be

harmful to young people, especially pre-teens and teens. Social media platforms such as

Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Tik Tok and even plain texting is argued by many to be great

for family and friends to stay in touch. It is also argued that social media is a great way for

businesses to get their name out there. Unfortunately, as a whole, social media has become a

source of bullying, social comparison, and FOMO (fear of missing out), which often lead to

depression or worse. In addition to these unintended results, too much social media has also been

proven to become a time-wasting addiction that causes changes in the human brain. Social media

has also been blamed for the decline in written and interpersonal communication skills,

particularly in young people. Finally, too many times social media has become a portal for online

predators who will prey on vulnerable children and adults. Despite the positives, when looking at

pre-teens and teens, it becomes clear that social media is a detriment.

2. Although there are some positives to using social media, I’ve had many negative personal

experiences due to using social media, and I will be arguing that the negative definitely outweigh

the positives when it comes to Social Media. I recall my sister feeling left out when she saw on

Instagram that her friends had gone and done something without her or hurt when she saw that

Reber 2

an ex-boyfriend had a new girlfriend. Often, I would sit in my room and watch YouTube or

scroll through TikTok on my phone for what I thought was a few minutes; I would look at the

clock and see that hours had passed. With the help of my parents and screen time limits, I have

gotten better about staying off my phone. I also developed lazy writing and communication

habits from texting so much. Additionally, in middle school, two female classmates met someone

in a social media app that they thought was a teenager and agreed to meet the person, who was

actually an adult. The girls went missing for days before they were finally found. I believe that

these experiences have led me to the opinion that too much social media is harmful to kids and

adults.

3. Thesis: Social media, while meant to be a social outlet for pre-teens and teens, is anything but,

and it can often lead to some very dangerous and life altering unintended consequences;

therefore, people need to stop spending do much time on it.

4. Points to cover

a. Depression/Isolation/FOMO

b. Bullying

c. Social Comparison

d. Changes in the brain/Addiction

e. Poor/lazy communication skills

f. Online Predators