BY Xinyu Wang
As social media becomes central to young lives, it’s their main way to connect with the world. It offers self-expression but also brings pressures. Unhealthy comparisons, self-doubt, and rising anxiety quietly erode their mental health. These threats are becoming invisible challenges for the younger generation.
In this episode, we explore social media’s impact on young people’s mental health through two interviews. First, we hear from “Lumos,” a pseudonym for a young person who shares his experience of online bullying and how he sought help to overcome it. Then, we talk to Professor Claire Lomax from Newcastle University, who breaks down how social media affects mental health and offers expert advice on the issue.
In order to further understand the responsibilities and measures taken by social media platforms on this issue. I tried to contact the press offices of mainstream social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter in the hope of conducting in-depth interviews on the issue. However, as I am not a professional journalist, these platforms failed to accept my request for an interview. Therefore, I went through an in-depth dialogue with professor Lomax. I explored the responsibility of social media platforms in protecting users’ mental health and possible improvements.
Through this interview, we hope to provide our readers with a more holistic perspective. A deeper understanding of the potential threats posed by social media to young people’s mental health. And we hope to promote a concerted effort to provide stronger protection for young people’s mental health.
