Is social media having a negative impact on your mental health?

Perhaps you are too far in, and the thought of not checking Facebook as soon as you open your eyes seems implausible.

Because, well, you’re an adult now and you can look after yourself, right?

If you say so.

On the other hand, if you actively look after your mental health and consider the results of various social media-focused studies, you will quickly realise that social media is, in fact, having an impact on your mental health.

Just take adolescents, for example, from BBC:

A group of US child welfare experts recently wrote to Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg urging him to close down Messenger Kids – a messaging app developed for children – saying it was irresponsible to encourage pre-teens to use the platform.

It cited evidence of adolescents reporting severe mood changes because of social media use and girls as young as 10 facing body image issues because of the pictures they are bombarded with on platforms such as Facebook-owned Instagram.

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Last year, a study by The Royal Society of Public Health asked 1 500 young people aged 11-25 to track their moods while using the five most popular social media sites:

It suggested Snapchat and Instagram were the most likely to inspire feelings of inadequacy and anxiety. YouTube had the most positive influence.

Seven in 10 said Instagram made them feel worse about body image and half of 14-24-year-olds reported Instagram and Facebook exacerbated feelings of anxiety.

Two-thirds said Facebook made cyber-bullying worse.

Makes sense, right?

The study then led Shirley Cramer, chief executive of RSPH, to call for three specific changes:

• a pop-up notification when a young person has spent a certain amount of time online
• a watermark on photos that have been digitally manipulated
• school lessons on how to use social media in a healthy way

And she concluded:

“Social media has become a space in which we form and build relationships, shape self-identity, express ourselves and learn about the world around us; it is intrinsically linked to mental health.”

If it isn’t a positive relationship, then the negativity contributes to teenage depression, anxiety and other mental issues that are often complex and wide-ranging.

And there you thought having to deal with a nagging, judgemental parent was a hard hand to be dealt.

Consultant psychiatrist Louise Theodosiou told the BBC that:

“In the last fortnight I have had two children request extra appointments because of online bullying.

“Some children deliberately lose or break their phones just to end distressing messages.”

And online bullying isn’t from those close to you; get this:

Teenagers who dare to express alternative views, particularly about “diverse sexuality”, open themselves up to the risk of a torrent of abuse on platforms such as Twitter, she says.

And online bullying can have a more intense effect than playground taunts.

Like suicide and self-harm.

Now, I ask again, is social media having a negative impact on your health? Perhaps it’s time to listen to Jim Carrey.

[source:bbc]