People have integrated social media into almost every part of life. We use social media to keep up with friends and family, check the news, find events, review businesses, and share life's best moments. While social media has many benefits, excessive social media use can negatively affect a person's mental health. This impact can include contributing to depression and anxiety.
Below, we discuss how social media can be harmful to one's mental health, particularly among teens and young adults. We then cover how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected social media use, and we share our self-assessment quiz for analyzing one's relationship with social media. Lastly, we share ways to access behavioral health treatment for excessive social media use and associated mental health challenges.
Ways that social media can negatively affect mental health
Social media's main benefit is keeping people connected, even when people are physically distant. In moderation, the technology is extremely useful and even fun. However, people often use social media in excess. A social media and mental health statistic from a recent study is that people spend an average of 136 minutes a day on social media. This prolonged use can lead to people developing addictive behaviors with social media, and the tool can negatively impact a person's mental health.
A common way that social media impacts people's mental health is by producing feelings of anxiety. When teens and young adults have access to all their friends and an information feed of past and upcoming events, they can quickly develop a fear-of-missing-out (FOMO). They do not want to miss a conversation with their peers or the news about the weekend's main event. This fear can cause people to feel incredibly anxious and compelled to check their phones frequently to not miss any updates. When their phones ping with a social media update, they often immediately pick up their phones and jump back into the social media platform. In addition to feelings of anxiety and stress, FOMO on social media can result in teens being incredibly distracted and exhibiting poor performance at school.
Another way that social media can negatively affect a person's mental health is by contributing to depression. For example, excessive social media use can disrupt a person's sleep schedule when they are up late online. Also, interacting with social media is a sedentary activity, and excessive social media use can lead to decreased physical activity. Both poor sleep and low physical activity can contribute to cases of depression. Further, while social media can connect people virtually, it does not provide the same mental health benefits as face-to-face interaction. When people have less face-to-face interaction with friends and family, this experience can also lead to cases of depression.
A third way social media use can negatively impact a person's mental health is by leading to low self-esteem. This danger is particularly the case among teenage girls and young women. Social media typically only features life's highlights and photos where people look their best. If people primarily experience life through social media, they may think that everyone's lives are much more glamorous and exciting than their own. When people compare their own lives to what they see on social media, they may feel inadequate and consequently develop low self-esteem and self-image issues. However, these comparisons are often unfair, as they are against curated snippets of other people's lives and images that editors enhance using Photoshop.
Effects of social media during the COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic came as a surprise to almost everyone in the spring and greatly impacted many aspects of life. Due to social distancing precautions and lockdowns, many people skipped face-to-face interactions and turned to social media for communication. This change was the case among teenagers' and young adults' schooling through virtual classrooms and remote learning formats.
While social media can help people communicate in a socially distant way, this remote communication can also be isolating. Often, social media strips down conversations and social interactions to comments and likes. Some people feel that this interaction can not adequately replace face-to-face meetups and find browsing through social media to be a lonely experience. Additionally, increased time on social media during the pandemic can intensify symptoms of depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem.
Self-assessment quiz for examining social media behavior
People who struggle with excessive social media use can take our self-assessment quiz below for an objective evaluation. To start, use the scale below to respond to the following statements.
__ I look for affirmation or acceptance from others.
__ What others post negatively affects my mood.
__ I feel fearful or anxious without using social media for long periods.
__ I feel a desire to change the way I look or dress to follow influencers.
__ I feel sad or depressed after being on social media.
__ Spending time on social media affects my daily motivation
__ People tease and make fun of me on social media.
__ I feel sad when people do not like or comment on my posts.
__ I feel easily agitated and annoyed with close friends and family members.
__ I need to go on social media every day.
Next, sum your responses to the above statements for your personal score. Review the custom response for your final score below.
- 50-40 points. This score indicates the person may benefit from the attention of a behavioral health professional. If excessive social media use is a significant problem in your life, reach out to a behavioral health treatment center for help. It is possible to improve one's relationship with social media and manage one's mental health challenges.
- 39-30 points. This score indicates that he person can benefit from a significant reduction in time on social media. People can work towards spending less time on social media by turning off notifications and keeping their phones out of their bedrooms. Try to spend less than an hour per day online.
- 29-20 points. This score indicates that you can benefit from spending less time on social media. You can take simple measures to reduce the time you spend online and ensure that social media is not a focal point of your life. One way to achieve these goals is by putting your phone away when you meet with friends and family and focusing your attention on the present moment.
- 20-5 points. This score indicates that you can manage your interactions with social media well. However, it is easy to develop an unhealthy relationship with social media, and it is important always to be mindful of your habits.
Please note that the above self-assessment is only for educational purposes, and it does not replace the opinion of a behavioral health professional. Also, please share this self-assessment so that others who may be struggling with social media use can better understand their behaviors.
Seeking treatment for excessive social media use and mental health challenges
Our team at Reno Behavioral Healthcare Hospital recognizes the dangerous effects of social media on mental health. We offer a range of treatment programs that can help youth and young adults manage their social media habits and associated mental health challenges, including depression and anxiety. These programs include our inpatient programs for adolescents, inpatient adult programs, and range of outpatient services.
To get started at Reno Behavioral Healthcare Hospital, contact our team by phone at (775) 393-2201 or contact us online. A member of our team can help answer any questions you may have and can help schedule you or a loved one for a free mental health assessment.