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Social media was created to bring people closer without having to physically meet each other. Apps like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter have completely transformed our daily lives, yet no one could have forseen the profound impact it would have on our mental health.
More than two-thirds of the US population uses some form of social media. Since social media apps are designed to keep users engaged and online, many spend several hours a day just mindlessly scrolling.
Social Media: Bad For Your Mental Health
While social media can make people feel good due to the activation of the brain's reward center, it has caused a huge problem for the mental health of its users.
Feelings of Inadequacy
People invariably compare their lives to the ones they see on social media, despite knowing that social media is often not a true representation of reality. The constant subconscious comparison to the snapshots and highlights of other people's lives causes you to feel bad about your body, life, and experience.
Fear Of Missing Out
Social media is designed to show you things and experiences you might be interested in but have not experienced yourself. This causes irrational thoughts and develops into a fear of missing out, eventually leading to anxiety and low self esteem.
The fear of missing out also causes people to get hooked on to social media as they do not want to risk missing out on the latest fads, trends, and reels. Ironically, social media causes feelings of loneliness and isolation.
Cyberbullying
Using social media platforms causes people to stay online, which increases the instances of cyberbullying. This also has a huge impact on a person's mental health. Hateful comments, degrading rumors, harassment, and other forms of online abuse can leave very real emotional and psychological scars.
Narcissim
Social media brings out one's worst tendencies, making you vain and self-absorbed. It encourages you to increase your popularity on various sites by endlessly posting your own thoughts, pictures, and videos.
Security Blanket
People tend to dive into the online world of social media whenever they are faced with anxious or awkward situations in their day-to-day lives. One also tends to scroll through social media when lonely, bored, or if they do not want to face an unpleasant situation.
Social media may provide temporary relief in such situations, as it can turn your attention away from the problem at hand. However, it could cause further problems down the line.
Sleep
Social media is designed to keep you engaged and on the app for long periods of time. This results in poor sleep patterns, which has detrimental effects on a person's mental health. The human body requires adequate sleep on a consistent basis, and social media often causes you to miss out on that requirement.
Social Media And Depression
Social media does not inherently cause depression, but when it replaces healthy forms of social interaction or takes up a large part of a person's life, it can cause depression and other mental illnesses. It is a serious problem for teenagers and young people.
Certain aspects of social media can lead to depression and changes in mood or behavior. Certain social media circles and groups promote 'toxic positivity' where people are expected to be positive and happy all the time. This is emotionally unhealthy and a bad stardard that no one can live up to.
Unhelpful thinking patterns that cannot be controlled, known as rumination, are a side effect of constantly scrolling through social media. Signs that social media is causing depression and other mental health illnesses include:
- Spending excessive periods of time on social media without control
- Involuntary unfavourable comparisons to others on social media
- Losing focus or constantly tempted to use social media
- Social media taking up time meant for self reflection
- Poor sleeping habits
- Symptoms of anxiety and depression
Social media is here to stay, as it has become integral to our lives. Avoiding it to prevent mental health problems is not a possibility for many people. However, there are things that will lessen the negative impact of social media on our mental health, such as the following:
- Being conscious about time spent online and limiting it
- Avoid using social media as soon as you get up and just before sleeping
- Filtering your content to things that will not affect your mental health
- Choosing to pursue other activities, online or in person, which excites or interests you
- Speaking to a therapist about your problems with social media
Social media does not have to negatively affect your mental health. Using it wisely and with care allows people to still benefit from it, and utlilize its various perks without the side effects
Steve Verghese is a trained psychologist with an MSc in Counseling Psychology from the Indian Institute of Psychology and Research.
