Assigment .Apa seven . All instructions attached.

5

Social Media Addiction

I. Introduction

A. Hook/ Attention Grabber

1. The College community is spending more time on social media apps than with friends and family members every day.

2. The problem of social media addiction is becoming an issue in the case of young adults because of their frequent use of various social media platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook.

3. The use of social networks has increased, and pupils' emotional well-being and behavior is a worry.

B. Background Information

1. The social networking websites were created to facilitate communication, information, and online communities.

2. As the time elapsed, there were increasingly advanced algorithms, frequent alerts and an onslaught of entertainment, which pushed users to spend too much time online.

3. It has been found that students who are addicted to social media have high levels of anxiety, low self-esteem, depression, and unhealthy coping mechanisms (Jing et al., 2025).

4. It is also found that social media can significantly trigger negative emotions among young people, as they are prone to compare themselves with others, fear of missing out, and dependence on social media for validation and recognition (Lițan, 2025).

C. Thesis Statement

Social media addiction is increasing because of its algorithms that keep people addicted, curiosity to follow the trends in social media, and a need for social recognition and approval.

II. Body

A. Paragraph 1

1. One of the main reasons social media platforms are so addictive is due to the personalized content that is provided by the use of AI algorithms.

2. One of the reasons for social media addiction is the use of AI algorithms that personalize content to ensure the user remains on social media platforms longer. As De et al (2025) claim, social media algorithms capture users' interest through personalization based on their interests and behaviors.

a) These algorithms stimulate the dopamine pathways of the brain, causing dependency-like patterns within different brain regions that are similar to substance addiction (De et al., 2025).

b) It is indication that social media companies are purposefully developing platforms to ensure that people always use it and spend more time viewing the screen.

3. As more and more content is pushed to users based on algorithms, so too are there more and more users feeling like they are missing out on other experiences and updates.

B. Paragraph 2

1. Fear of missing out (FoMO) is one of the significant social media addiction among students and young adults.

2. The students in the above mentioned Meta analyses were found to be more than 26,000 in number who had positive correlation between social media addiction and FoMO (Jing et al., 2025).

a) A lot of people are continually checking their phones, and they're worried a trend or social activity, or a conversation is going on that they are not a part of.

b) It is important to this evidence because it demonstrates the social pressure and anxiety that leads people to be attached to social media all day.

3. FoMO may cause feelings of depression and an increased desire for validation and acceptance online.

C. Paragraph 3

1. Social validation and social acceptance is another major factor that can contribute to social media addiction.

2. Self-efficacy and anxiety may be negatively impacted by SAA, as social media users compare themselves to others when using a social media platform, according to Chen et al. (2025).

a) Their research found that 72% of the participants felt a decrease in their self-worth due to social comparisons on social media platforms (Chen et al., 2025).

b) This is an important piece of evidence since it shows that many users are dependent on likes, comments, and online attention for feeling accepted and valued.

3. As more and more people are using online social networks, social network addiction will likely remain a social and youth problem.

III. Conclusion

A. Key Points.

1. These are the reasons why social media addiction continues to grow: the algorithms keep people on social media longer; FoMO makes people feel like they need to be online all the time; there's the possibility of emotional validation via social media.

2. All of these are pieces that can lead to an unhealthy relationship with social media that impacts students and young adults.

3. Knowing the cause behind social media addiction is necessary as it helps people comprehend the impact of technology and emotional components on their life.

B. Closing Thoughts.

1. Schools, families and social media platforms should promote and encourage healthy digital behaviors and educate users of the dangers of excessive social media use.

2. If society fails to take action to counteract social media addictions, future generations may grow more emotionally dependent on social media and “social” acceptance and approval.

References

Cai, F., Wang, Y., & Jin, S. (2026). The impact of social media addiction on college students’ mental health through social support and resilience. Scientific Reports. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-35779-w

Chen, J., Yu, Z., Yu, Z., Ni, R., Zhou, J., & Qu, J. (2025). The effects of social media addiction on college students’ psychological anxiety: the mediating role of self-efficacy and coping styles. Frontiers in Psychology, 16. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1676899

De, D., El Jamal, M., Aydemir, E., & Khera, A. (2025). Social media algorithms and teen addiction: Neurophysiological impact and ethical considerations. Cureus, 17(1), 1–7. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.77145

Garima, G., Verma, A., & Kaushik, M. B. (2026). Addicted and affected – social media addiction, mental health and academic performance: A PLS-SEM approach. Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education, 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1108/jarhe-06-2025-0494

Jing, Z., Yang, W., Lei, Z., Junmei, W., Hui, L., & Tianmin, Z. (2025). Correlations between social media addiction and anxiety, depression, FoMO, loneliness and self-esteem among students: A systematic review and meta-analysis. PLOS One, 20(9), e0329466. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0329466

Lițan, D.-E. (2025). Online captive: The impact of social media addiction on depression and anxiety—an SEM approach to the mediating role of self-esteem and the moderating effects of age and professional status. Behavioral Sciences, 15(4), 481. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs15040481