Social Media’s Effects on Mental Health
Logging on and keeping up via social media sites, such as Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and Twitter, has become a way of life for many people. That shouldn't come as a surprise given that social media offers simple-to-use tools that let users interact with loved ones, share ideas, and learn about local events. According to Statista, more than 3.6 billion people worldwide—or 49% of the world's population—used social media in 2020. It has become such a crucial component of our daily life. And by 2025, that figure is anticipated to reach around 4.41 billion.
Social media’s effects on mental health
It goes without saying that a lot of the content consumers find on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, or Snapchat doesn't correspond to reality. Instead, these websites are jam-packed with friends and family's highlight reels, which only present the positive aspects of their lives. This may negatively affect a user's sense of self-worth, which may raise the risk of mental health problems like:
Addiction to social media
Anxiety
Depression
Isolation
Poor self-image
Stress
Suicide
Exploring the negative consequences of social media:
Mental health problems can be brought on by or made worse by social media. This may have an impact on a user's sleep, family time, career or academic performance, and other aspects of their life.
Insomnia and social media:
Anxiety has been connected to social media use, especially in those who already experience anxiety during in-person social interactions. One comprehensive evaluation found that socially anxious persons frequently use social media to make up for a lack of real-life connections. The review was published in Computers in Human Behavior Reports. However, our analysis also discovered that many times, these platforms are unable to provide the help that socially anxious persons need.
According to other studies, young adults who spend a lot of time on social media are more likely to experience anxiety disorders. Particularly true for female users.
Social Media and depression:
It might seem reasonable to believe that spending more time scrolling through social media sites would strengthen a person's sense of connection to others. However, seeing someone else's posts often praising their work, romance, travel, or other life highlights is directly linked to a higher risk of sadness, per a study of Facebook users by the University of Houston. The study also found a link between more frequent logins and a higher prevalence of depression symptoms.
Another University of Pennsylvania study discovered that constantly monitoring social media accounts can result in "fear of missing out," or "FOMO," as well as emotions of loneliness and seclusion. According to the study, this might exacerbate depression. However, the researchers found that reducing users' time on social media to about 30 minutes a day appeared to increase their well-being.
However, other research indicates that the quality of the content consumed may be more significant when it comes to depression than the amount of time spent on social media. According to research published in the journal Psychology of Popular Media Culture, unfavorable comparisons to others on Facebook (or other social media platforms) can trigger depressive symptoms. This study supports past results that the effectiveness of social media connections may trigger depressive symptoms and an unfavorable focus on a user's personal issues.
Self-esteem and social media:
According to research, users who spend more time liking or commenting on other people's social media posts are more likely to suffer from a decline in self-esteem. Particularly for preteen and adolescent girls, this was true. Other research has shown that young girls are more prone than boys to negatively compare their looks or body image to others. Eating problems may consequently arise as a result of this.
Sleep issues and social media use:
Maintaining mental health depends heavily on getting enough sleep. However, an increasing number of research indicate that using social media right before bed can reduce the quality of sleep. According to a Finnish study, scrolling through feeds at night may be keeping some users up, and this has been found to have a negative impact on the quality of their sleep. This was especially true for professionals in the workforce. Other researchers have found a connection between social media use and later bedtimes and poorer sleep, which can exacerbate mental health conditions like anxiety or depression.
Social media's psychological effects on young people:
Due to their low ability to self-regulate and sensitivity to peer pressure, children and teenagers are among those most susceptible to the harmful impacts of social media. In addition to the mental health issues mentioned above, sexting, cyberbullying, and exposure to improper content are other issues that young people may encounter. This has the potential to aggravate anxiety, sadness, low self-esteem, poor sleep, and social media addiction.
Even more concerning is the increased risk of suicide and self-harm among teen and pre-teen users. One study of 467 young adults found that those who spent a lot of time on social media were more likely to engage in vaguebooking, which involves publishing vague yet disturbing posts to get attention. It has been discovered that vaguebooking is a marker of loneliness, anxiety, and diminished empathy. It may serve as a warning indicator for parents and mental health professionals because it can forecast the occurrence of suicidal thoughts. Young users are at significantly greater risk because of the relatively recent phenomenon known as "suicide challenges." Users are given increasingly life-threatening tasks to perform in these challenges, like the Blue Whale Challenge, before the user's suicide occurs at the conclusion.
Social media's beneficial benefits on mental health
Despite all of its drawbacks, social networking does have some clear advantages. These consist of:
Using platforms for entertainment
Increasing imagination
comparing concepts
encouraging one's own identity
Increasing contact with a range of people and experiences
keeping in touch with family and friends
sharing experiences and images with others
keeping abreast of neighborhood events that can result in in-person encounters
supporting those that have similar experiences to the users
Controlling the drawbacks of social media:
The American Psychological Association (APA) claims that there are a number of techniques to lessen the detrimental effects that social media may have on mental health. These could consist of:
Retaining airplane mode on your phone
Putting your phone in a different room
limiting your use of social media to a certain period of time each day
Mute notifications
Take a day off.
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