Capstone Research: Entry Two

The Brown Public Health Journal article (https://youtu.be/vcTh35zptAk?si=9rpnnqNDicon8KM5) I found explores how TikTok’s rapid growth raises concerns about youth mental health. Rather than treating TikTok as simply another entertainment app, the article situates it within a broader body of research linking social media use to depression, anxiety, sleep disruption, and low self-esteem among adolescents and young adults.

The article contains multiple peer-reviewed studies that reinforce these concerns. Lin et al. (2016) found a strong association between social media use and depression in U.S. young adults. Woods and Scott (2016) reported that nighttime social media use correlated with poor sleep quality, anxiety, and low self-esteem among teenagers. Similarly, Levenson et al. (2016) connected high social media engagement with sleep disturbance. While these studies do not prove causation, the consistency of the findings across different populations is shocking.

What makes TikTok really compelling to me is not just its popularity/usage, but its design. Sherman et al. (2016) demonstrated that receiving “likes” activates reward-related brain regions in adolescents. Burhan and Moradzadeh (2020) explain how dopamine reinforces habitual engagement, creating feedback loops similar to other addictive behaviors. Scholars such as Montag et al. (2019) say that features like infinite scroll, variable rewards, and personalized algorithms are intentionally structured to keep people on the app. 

A podcast by Cal Newport (https://youtu.be/vcTh35zptAk?si=9rpnnqNDicon8KM5) compares modern algorithms to perfect TV schedules, except these are personalized in real time by AI. I like a lot of the quotes he uses and the science and psychology-based resources he uses. I will definitely use this video as a resource. 

I find the variety of neuroscience, psychology, and platform design research interesting for my capstone. TikTok is not just popular; it represents a highly refined attention system. The research suggests that the issue is not just screen time, but the systems behind it.

I need to plan out some b-roll footage for my video, have a beginning/hook, body, conclusion, and resolution. 

Helpful from The Brown Public Health Journal article:
  • Sriwilai, K., & Charoensukmongkol, P. (2016). Face it, don’t Facebook it: impacts of social media addiction on mindfulness, coping strategies and the consequence on emotional exhaustion. Stress and Health, 32(4), 427-434.
  • Lin, L. Y., Sidani, J. E., Shensa, A., Radovic, A., Miller, E., Colditz, J. B., … & Primack, B. A. (2016). Association between social media use and depression among US young adults. Depression and anxiety, 33(4), 323-331.
  • Woods, H. C., & Scott, H. (2016). # Sleepyteens: Social media use in adolescence is associated with poor sleep quality, anxiety, depression and low self-esteem. Journal of adolescence, 51, 41-49.
  • Lee-Won, R. J., Herzog, L., & Park, S. G. (2015). Hooked on Facebook: The role of social anxiety and need for social assurance in problematic use of Facebook. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 18(10), 567-574.
  • Levenson, J. C., Shensa, A., Sidani, J. E., Colditz, J. B., & Primack, B. A. (2016). The association between social media use and sleep disturbance among young adults. Preventive medicine, 85, 36-41.
  • Sidani, Jaime E., Ariel Shensa, Beth Hoffman, Janel Hanmer, and Brian A. Primack. “The association between social media use and eating concerns among US young adults.” Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics 116, no. 9 (2016): 1465-1472.
  • TikTok Revenue and Usage Statistics (2020). (2020, October 30). Retrieved from https://www.businessofapps.com/data/tik-tok-statistics/
  • Dictionary by Merriam-Webster: America’s most-trusted online dictionary. (2020). Retrieved from https://www.merriam-webster.com/
  • Eranti, V., & Lonkila, M. (2015). The social significance of the Facebook Like button. First Monday, 20.
  • Zara, C. (2019, December 18). How Facebook’s ‘like’ button hijacked our attention and broke the 2010s. Retrieved from https://www.fastcompany.com/90443108/how-facebooks-like-button-hijacked-our-attention-and-broke-the-2010s
  • Sherman, L. E., Payton, A. A., Hernandez, L. M., Greenfield, P. M., & Dapretto, M. (2016). The Power of the Like in Adolescence: Effects of Peer Influence on Neural and Behavioral Responses to Social Media. Psychological science, 27(7), 1027–1035. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797616645673
  • Burhan, R., & Moradzadeh, J. (2020). Neurotransmitter Dopamine (DA) and its Role in the Development of Social Media Addiction. Journal of Neurology, 11(7), 507.
  • Ghose, T. (2015, January 27). What Facebook Addiction Looks Like in the Brain. Retrieved from https://www.livescience.com/49585-facebook-addiction-viewed-brain.html
  • Flynn, Kerry, Kristina Monllos, Lara O’Reilly, and Seb Joseph. “Pitch Deck: TikTok Says Its 27m Users Open the App 8 Times a Day in the US.”Digiday. Published February 26, 2019. https://digiday.com/marketing/pitch-deck-how-tiktok-is-courting-u-s-ad-agencies/.
  • Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2002). Flow: The classic work on how to achieve happiness. Random House.
  • Montag, C., Lachmann, B., Herrlich, M., & Zweig, K. (2019). Addictive Features of Social Media/Messenger Platforms and Freemium Games against the Background of Psychological and Economic Theories. International journal of environmental research and public health, 16(14), 2612. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16142612
  • Meltzer, D. (2018, February 08). Why Short-Form Video Needs to Be Part of Your Content Strategy. Retrieved from https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/308684
  • Knowledge, V. I. (2019). The TikTok Strategy: Using AI Platforms to Take Over the World.
  • https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2026/03/02/8-facts-about-americans-and-tiktok/

  • Liu, R. (2020, September 21). The psychology of why social media is so addictive [Web log post]. Retrieved from https://uxdesign.cc/the-psychology-of-why-social-media-is-so-addictive-67830266657d

Comments

  1. Eden HenryFebruary 22, 2026 at 10:37 AM

    Some really interesting and strong finds here! I also like how at the end of your post you talk about what you're planning to do next, specifically with the idea of b-roll footage. I can't remember exactly what you wanted your finished product to be, but I am sure it'll be awesome because of your obvious passion and interest in the subject.

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  2. Carlos VegaFebruary 25, 2026 at 5:01 PM

    Hey Layla, this is a really strong post. I like how you used the studies to support your points. The research about depression, anxiety, sleep problems, and self-esteem makes your argument stronger. I also think your point about TikTok’s design is really important. The concern about how the app is built to keep people there is what I'm interested to see. The idea that likes activate reward systems in the brain and that the algorithm creates constant feedback loops makes a lot of sense. I'm excited to see how this research guides your project!

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