AP Research

Between 2015 and 2022, the number of teens using social media has risen from 24% to 46%. In addition, between 2007 and 2017, the total number of teenagers in the United States who have experienced depressive symptoms has increased 59%. These numbers will only continue to rise with time and studies show that there is a strong correlation between the two. Over 59.3% of the world’s population uses social media, and depression has been on a significant rise since the early 2000’s. In my research project, I will explore the top three components of Instagram that drive depressive symptoms in American teenagers. I will conduct a case study by analyzing data which shows the strongest and weakest indicators of depressive symptoms and identifying which components of social media cause such symptoms. With the help of this research along with the compliance of social media platforms like Instagram, we can lower the depression rate in the United States as well as globally.