THE PORTRAYAL OF ANXIETY IN EDUCATION

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The Relationship Between Social Media and Anxiety for Young People

A major issue identified by educationalists today is the anxiety that social media is seemingly causing for young people, specifically students. It has been pointed out by institutions such as the Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families that internet use can have both a positive and negative impact on a child’s mental health and physical well-being. The Anna Freud Foundation (2020) further expands this point by identifying that “young people aged 11 to 19 with mental health problems” [2] are significantly more likely to use social media than those that do not have mental health problems. A report by the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (2021) also identifies this age group as more likely to develop social anxiety. They state that, “the average age of onset for social anxiety is during the teenage years” [3], furthering the point that internet use can have a detrimental impact on a young person’s mental health. Therefore, it can be concluded that those students, who have social anxiety are going to be less willing to partake in online education.

Decreased Physical Activity caused by Remote learning and the link to Anxiety.

In light of the remote learning that COVID-19 has demanded, another issue has arisen; the time that a student is required to spend on a computer has increased exponentially. This has led to vastly reduced physical activity which has increased the prevalence of anxiety based mental health issues. According to Esmonde (2021) this can contribute to childhood and teenager obesity in the longer term, which can exacerbate pre-existing anxieties in students, especially the anxieties related to physical health. However, some institutions such as UNICEF, have examined this issue in a positive manner, suggesting that some people are using this “lockdown period to play active video games, either maintaining or improving their physical health” [4]. Furthermore Esmonde (2021), cites John Hopkins University’s research on how physical activity has had an impact on public health. The University’s research has suggested that “the pandemic is exacerbating health disparities among children [and] having significant impacts on their physical and cognitive development” [5.]

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Digital poverty

The Education Development Trust (2021) notes that “12 percent of young people cannot use these devices at home at all. This causes challenges for completing school work. This problem will be exacerbated in the current climate where remote learning has become the main way for students to gain an education. The same source goes on to note that “In the UK an estimated one million children and their families do not have adequate access to a device or connectivity at home” [7]. Due to having a lack of access to devices and the internet this is having a detrimental impact on students mental health and well-being increasing their anxiety levels.

Media impact on perception on remote learning

The sudden shift from in- person learning to online learning has resulted in heightening the anxiety levels of many students. A significant portion of students has had their social circle, as well as social interaction decrease, resulting in feelings of loneliness and loss of motivation. This is supported by research such as Riehm et al (2019), which suggests that the lack of personal contact with their peers causes students to develop many mental health issues, a major one being anxiety. Furthermore, Riehm et al (2019) suggests that the shift to online learning means that there has been a significant increase in the amount of time students spend in front on a screen which has been identified as one of the leading causes of anxiety” [8].

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The increased use of the internet, as well as social media, caused by the pandemic has not only disturbed the lives of students but also significantly affected their mental health. Despite this, very few programs have been implemented to help people through these troubling times. Therefore, it is our suggestion that, as we enter the second year of the pandemic and ‘lockdown’, as a society we focus on the creation of support groups which can help people cope; not only now but also after ‘lockdown’ is lifted.

References

1. Education Week: How to get stress out and not stress out. (2021). The Daily Universe. [online]. Available at: https://universe.byu.edu/.org/education-week-how-to-get-stress-out-and-not-stress-out/ [ Accessed 9 Mar. 2021].

2. Risks and protective factors: Mentally Healthy Schools. (2021). Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families. [online]. Available at: https://www.mentallyhealthyschools.org.uk/risks-and-protective-factors/ [Accessed 14 Feb. 2021].

3. Anxiety Disorders and Depression Research and Treatment. (2021). Anxiety and Depression Association of America. [online]. Available at: https://adaa.org/ [Accessed 6 Mar. 2021].

4. Rethinking screen-time in the time of COVID-19. (2021). Unicef.org. [online]. Available at: https://www.unicef.org/globalinsight/stories/rethinking-screen-time-covid19 [Accessed 8 Mar. 2021].

5. How Remote Learning Impacts Children’s Health And Well-being. (2021). Children’s Health Defence. [online]. Available at https://childrenshealthdefense.org/defender/remote-learning-children-health/ [Accessed 8 of Mar. 2021].

6. Whited29.wixsite.com. (2021). Available at: https://whited29.wixsite.com/mrwhitephysicaledu [Accessed 9 Mar. 2021].

7. Home – Education Development Trust. (2021). Educationdevelopmenttrust.com. [online]. Available at: https://www.educationdevelopmentrust.com/ [Accessed 9 Mar. 2021]

8. Riehm, K., Feder, K., Tormohlen, K., Crum, R., Young, A., Green, K., Pacek, L., La Flair, L. and Mojtabai, R. (2019). Associations Between Time Spent Using Social Media and Internalizing and Externalizing Problems Among US Youth. JAMA Psychiatry, 76(12), p.1266.

9. How To Handle Anxiety- Fuelled Refusals To Go To School. (2021). KQED. [online]. Available at: https://www.kqued.org/mindshift/49476/how-to-handle-anxiety-fuelled-refusals-to-go-to–school [Accessed 9 Mar. 2021]