The Impact of the Internet on Adolescents’ Mental Health

Abstract

Studies have found that the age of adolescent first exposure to the Internet is getting younger and younger, and the bad information on the Internet may have a negative impact on their mental health. Communication of Network community in online social media may cause extreme emotions among teenagers, especially under online anonymity, teenagers may show extreme emotions different from those in reality, which may lead to mental health problems such as anxiety and depression. According to the research, the author pointed out that Internet addiction is positively associated with depression in adolescents, and Internet addicts may disperse their depressive emotions through the Internet, but this behavior may aggravate the degree of depression. Moreover, the negative emotional atmosphere and social comparison on the Internet may lead to low self-esteem and anxiety among adolescents. Excessive use of Internet technology for recreational activities may adversely affect the educational development of adolescents, leading to decreased academic performance and depression tendencies. This paper explores in depth the effects of the Internet on adolescent mental health, especially the effects of Internet addiction, online social networking, cyberbullying and online use on sleep. And how to guide teenagers to use the Internet correctly and protect their mental health has become an urgent social problem to be solved.