How Social Media Imposes Mental Health Risks

How Social Media Imposes Mental Health Risks

Let's be honest: you don’t always feel your best after checking Facebook, Instagram, and other social media platforms. Maybe it was the lavish new house your college roommate posted about. Or perhaps it was the myriad of adorable newborn photos your friend just shared.

As a result, an often uncontrollable feeling of envy, anger, or low self-esteem sends you into an ongoing spiral of negative thinking. Your mind begins whispering dubious and vice thoughts, like how did your roommate afford a brand new house? Or, how can your friend afford the costs of raising a baby? — But don't worry. You are not alone. It’s completely fine to admit it.

A survey by the Royal Society for Public Health found that people aged between 14 to 24 believe social networks, including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Snapchat have harmful effects on their mental health. They reported that although social channels provide the opportunity to express one's self and foster relationships, social media also heightened their anxiety and depression. These platforms also presented other adverse effects, including sleep deprivation, constant exposure to online bullies, increased body image dissatisfaction, and exaggerated fears of missing out. Further academic studies concluded that these problems are more severe among frequent social media users.

Here are common reasons social media imposes mental health risks:

Comparing Yourself to Others

The primary goal of most social networks is to provide a convenient space to connect with friends and family. However, with the abundance of information being shared on the internet, we are likely to compare ourselves to the lives of those we see on mobile devices or computer screens. In fact, research shows that between 30 to 50% of teenage patients of an eating disorder treatment center use social media to support their eating disorders.

Feeling Left Out

Did your best friends in the entire world post of a selfie at the mall — without you?! What?! It’s circumstances like this that allow anxiety to creep in. Why didn't they tell you? Are you still friends? Did you mindlessly do something they didn't like? Anxiety-crippling question after question may fill your thoughts.

Wasting Valuable Time

Without time management skills and willpower, social media can and will eat your time. For example, hitting the "like" button on a controversial Facebook post will turn on notifications, meaning you will know about every comment left on that post. Before you know it, three hours had passed since you started reading the comments or arguments. Social networks have unappeasable appetites, and if you don’t possess any self-control, social media will consume your time.

Not Being Popular Enough

Remember when you first used Facebook? It seemed relatively harmless. Your first selfie got four likes. Cool. Then, you posted another photo and got ten likes. Wow! The satisfaction you get from gaining more likes is usually when issues begin. You may start feeling the need to compete with others who have hundreds of likes. You may also feel unhappy until your recent post receives more reactions than your previous ones. Something alarming is happening here, especially if you refresh your post every 10 seconds to see if anyone new liked your photo. You feel like if you can get maybe one or two more likes, you will be happy.

As a word of caution, keep in mind that chasing happiness never leads to happiness. Limiting your exposure to social media may be best if it is only taking over your life and way of thinking.