Impact of Social Media on Mental Health

Over 5 billion social media users worldwide were reported as of July 2024, which is a staggering 63.7% of the world's population. The overwhelming number shows how social media like WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and YouTube have been impacting people’s lives across the globe. 

Yes, social media is everywhere around us, and knowingly or unknowingly we are becoming obsessed with the use of social media in our everyday lives.

People spend hours on social media watching posts from friends and family or even those unrelated to them. It is indeed true that social media helps connect people to stay in touch with each other, it has several negative effects too. Being obsessed with social media and not being able to handle it wisely can impact the mental health of many users.  

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In this post, let us talk about the impact of social media on mental health and how to use social media wisely to benefit from it.  

How Does Social Media Influence Mental Health?

Social media platforms offer mixed blessings for users. They can help connect people and educate them on one hand, whereas, they may negatively influence users’ self-esteem through comparison and other negative impacts, on the other hand. You may not realize getting trapped under the influence of social media and end up feeling anxious and depressed, especially teenagers and young adults.

The fear of missing out (FOMO) is one major drawback that social media generates among users. This happens when some users, especially youngsters, feel a sense of being left out due to constant competition in social media where their peers show off things or luxuries they may lack. It might make them feel jealous or left out in life. This somehow affects the mental condition of such users. Take a quick look at the positive and negative influences of social media on people.    

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Negative Influence of Social Media

·        Addiction: Social media is addictive. People are addicted to watching every feed or post coming from their friends. Or they get addicted to getting positive feedback on each of their posts. And when they don’t receive them, they get disheartened.  

 ·        Fear of Missing Out: FOMO or the fear of missing out is one huge concern that people using excessive social media tools can go through. The factors that make them experience FOMO also make them upset and depressed in many cases.  

 ·        Low Self-Esteem: Social media also encourages comparisons among people in terms of success, status, and accomplishment. Such social comparisons may lead to low self-esteem among some social media addicts.

 ·        Cyberbullying: Excess use of social media can pave the way for cyberbullying in the form of negative comments and harassment, which may again impact one’s mental health and well-being.  

·        Sleep-Related Issues: Using social media before going to sleep may disrupt your sleep pattern and cause sleeplessness, which is becoming a major cause of concern for many Indians including teenagers and students.   

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Positive Effect of Social Media

As already stated, social media has several positive influences and helps people in many different ways. Let’s take a look:

·        Staying connected: Social media presents wonderful opportunities for people to stay connected virtually irrespective of distance. So, you can stay in touch with your cousin studying in another country or a relative living far away through social media.   

·        Community Support: Being surrounded by many online or virtual friends can help you feel emotionally connected with your community. People can even seek advice and comfort from online groups by chatting with each other.   

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How to Maintain Balance on Using Social Media for the Best Benefits?

·        Set a limit on Screen Time: Set a limit on how much time you want to spend on social media. Limit it judiciously per day  

 ·        Use social media during designated hours: Fix specific hours of the day to visit social media and try to control this designated time accordingly.   

 ·        Unfriend unwanted people: Stop following people who make you feel unhappy. Rather, follow those who bring you cheer and learning.

 ·        Don’t fall into the trap of comparisons: Stop comparing yourself with others by looking at their social media profiles and posts. Life may or may not be the same as shown on social media. 

·        Disconnect from social media on and off: Try to keep away from social media whenever you can to give yourself a break in between. 

·        Read and share positive feeds: Try to engage in positive activities and connect with positive people to keep negativity away. 

·        Seek help in case of stress or anxiety: If at any time you feel stressed or anxious because of social media get immediate support from close ones or professionals. If need be, don’t be scared of seeking mental health services.

Conclusion

There is no denying that the impact of social media is huge on people. These tools can impact users both positively and negatively. They have changed the way people communicate and stay in touch. If used mindfully, social media can benefit users in different ways. Having said that, it is equally important to know that over-relying on the means of social media may lead to potential and unwanted damage. Hence, the remedy is to use social media wisely, mindfully, and in moderation for the best benefits and to keep the negativity away.    

For young students, it is all the more crucial to control social media habits to stay focused on their goals. Online and regular students who use social media to establish networking and for other benefits, must regulate their usage and be mindful to get the best out of social media.  

At Amity University Online, we take extreme care to make our online students conscious about using social media mindfully. Amity Online is one of the best online education platforms in India offering wide scope and opportunities for students to gain access to online courses to elevate their career to reach their goals. Visit the portal to learn more.