Social media has become an integral part of our daily lives, allowing us to connect with others, share experiences, and stay informed. However, the constant use of social media platforms can have a significant impact on our mental health.
Popular social media platforms can also provide a stage with a potential audience of one billion eyes. Social media offers tremendous potential for people who want to be noticed.However, most connections are extensions of our real-life relationships, and many users say that social media enriches friendships. For example, a Pew survey found that a majority of teenage respondents said that Instagram enhanced their connections with people they already knew (many of whom are classmates). For some people, it is also difficult to establish whether social media has positive or negative effects on mental health because it is unclear to which platform or platforms the terms ‘social media’ refer. Childhood and the teenage years can be filled with developmental challenges and social pressures. For some kids, social media has a way of exacerbating those problems and fueling anxiety, bullying, depression, and issues with self-esteem.
Caregivers should also keep an eye out for problematic behaviors, such as strong cravings to use social media, an inability to stop, and lying or sneaking around in order to use devices when they aren’t allowed. The problem is, the algorithms can also lead you down rabbit holes,’ Alvord said. Features such as ‘like’ buttons, notifications, and videos that start playing automatically make it incredibly hard to step away.
How does social media affect mental health?
A 2018 University of Pennsylvania study found that reducing social media use to 30 minutes a day resulted in a significant reduction in levels of anxiety, depression, loneliness, sleep problems, and FOMO. But you don’t need to cut back on your social media use that drastically to improve your mental health. The same study concluded that just being more mindful of your social media use can have beneficial results on your mood and focus. Your heavy social media use could be masking other underlying problems, such as stress, depression, or boredom. If you spend more time on social media when you’re feeling down, lonely, or bored, you may be using it as a way to distract yourself from unpleasant feelings or self-soothe your moods.
Within a learning healthcare environment where research and care are tightly intertwined and feedback between both is rapid, the integration of digital technologies into services may create new opportunities for advancing use of social media for mental health. For youth ages 10 to 17 who reported major depressive symptomatology, there were over 3 times greater odds of facing online harassment in the last year compared with youth who reported mild or no depressive symptoms (Ybarra 2004). As these studies depict risks for victimization on social media and the correlation with poor mental health, it is possible that individuals living with mental illness may also experience greater hostility online compared to individuals without mental illness. This would be consistent with research showing greater risk of hostility, including increased violence and discrimination, directed towards individuals living with mental illness in in-person contexts, especially targeted at those with severe mental illnesses (Goodman et al. 1999). In this commentary, we summarized current research on the use of social media among individuals with mental illness, with consideration of the impact of social media on mental wellbeing, as well as early efforts using social media for delivery of evidence-based programs for addressing mental health problems.
There are several ways in which social media can impact our mental well-being:
- Comparison: Constantly seeing curated and polished versions of others’ lives on social media can lead to feelings of inadequacy and lower self-esteem.
- Isolation: Spending excessive amounts of time on social media can lead to feelings of loneliness and isolation, as it may replace real-life interactions.
- Anxiety: The pressure to maintain an online image and fear of missing out (FOMO) can contribute to feelings of anxiety and stress.
These findings show that it is critical to monitor the actual content of social media posts, such as determining whether content is hostile or promotes harm to self or others. This is pertinent because existing research looking at duration of exposure cannot account for the impact of specific types of content on mental health and is insufficient to fully understand the effects of using these platforms on mental health. The payoff of moderating news exposure was reflected in the findings of a study conducted early in the pandemic during Spain’s shutdown. Researchers found that two-thirds of the 5,545 Spanish adults surveyed reported anxiety or depressive symptoms. But those who limited their exposure to Covid-19 news and tried to eat healthy, along with pursuing hobbies and more time outdoors, were likely to experience less stress (Fullana, M. A., et al., Journal of Affective Disorders, Vol. 275, 2020).
While the CDC did ask about parents’ abuses and unemployment (both strongly connected to more teen depression, suicide attempts and self-harm), surveys haven’t asked about grownups’ drug/alcohol, mental health, sexual abuse and related issues. So obsessed are the most publicized authorities with social media that they overlook far more important issues. Teens whose parents lost jobs during the pandemic are 34% more likely to suffer poor mental health, 55% more likely to suffer parental abuse, 55% more likely to attempt suicide and 140% more likely to self-harm compared to teens with employed parents.
Each of these examples offers early insights into the potential to leverage widely available online data for better understanding the onset and course of mental illness. An important strength with this commentary is that it combines a range of studies broadly covering the topic of social media and mental health. We have provided a summary of recent evidence in a rapidly advancing field with the goal of presenting unique ways that social media could offer benefits for individuals with mental illness, while also acknowledging the potentially serious risks and the need for further investigation.
What are some strategies to mitigate the negative effects of social media on mental health?
- Limits: Setting boundaries on the amount of time spent on social media can help reduce its negative impact.
- Unfollow: Unfollowing accounts that make you feel inadequate or anxious can improve your mental well-being.
- Engage offline: Prioritizing real-life connections and activities over social media can help combat feelings of isolation.
In conclusion, while social media offers many benefits, it is essential to be mindful of its potential impact on our mental health. By establishing healthy habits and boundaries, we can harness the positive aspects of social media while safeguarding our well-being.
