The Impact of Social Media on Mental Health

Given that the U.K. Online Safety Act is set to become law very soon, in the past, I’ve had a lot of problems with various social media platforms long before Covid and from my experience, they are best avoided - during Covid we saw how online censorship was happening with many of them and frankly, we could do with getting rid of a lot of them altogether - in one way, I think that the Online Safety Act could be of great benefit to those in our situation, even though I don’t entirely approve of censorship and I support the principles of free speech in what is supposed to be a democratic society - I see a lot of them on the App Store but I would not be tempted to do them at my age and especially not the gay “dating” apps, because as an older gay man, I don’t approve of the gay “hookup” culture as this can also be quite dangerous for many reasons - I’d like to see far more restrictions and regulations placed on the proper and responsible use of social media, which needs to become a legal requirement, enforced by the police and others, because it’s harmful effects have been documented elsewhere and because I’ve seen people on there in the past who should not even be allowed anywhere the internet, let alone be on any social media platform - the problem is that some people abuse the privileges and rights that they have been given and as technology continues to advance, we are going to constantly have to deal with these questions going forward 

There are quite a few articles about this online for example:

"Pros & cons: impacts of social media on mental health

The use of social media significantly impacts mental health. It can enhance connection, increase self-esteem, and improve a sense of belonging. But it can also lead to tremendous stress, pressure to compare oneself to others, and increased sadness and isolation. Mindful use is essential to social media consumption. ... ":

https://bmcpsychology.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40359-023-01243-x

"Social media damages teenagers' mental health, report says":

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-55826238

What do you think? - It can be posive to many people but can be damaging to others.
Has social media impacted your mental health in any way? - I try to use it in such a way that unwanted effects are minimised.
How do you manage your social media use to ensure it doesn't negatively impact your well-being? -  I don't feel the need to comment on just about everything.  Think at least twice about  what I post before posting in case something I post could be misconstrued.  I tend to steer clear of expressing strong opinions or making critical or sarastic comments about others.  I don't give away too much personal information which could make me a target for criminals etc.  I realise that sometimes things that I post won't have a lot of "likes" or replies and not to feel disappointed.
Do you believe social media has a net positive or negative effect on mental health? - Depends on degree of use, I think there is an optimum point with it.

I would agree with you with regards to the harms of social media but I'm not sure what the alternative is. What about the people for whom social media is a lifeline? Surely people simply managing their use a lot better is all that is needed.

It's junk food for the brain. 

Edit: (most of the time).

I can only speak for myself but when COVID happened, my social media usage went up a significant amount too. I always thought I would never get sucked into comparing myself to others because I don't care so much about my personal appearance, but I did end up doing that anyway in terms of life milestones and so on. I didn't realise it until recently but I was on it far too much. My phone screen time might not have been that high (5 hours on a normal day) but then I'd be using it on my desktop too.

Yes, there were some good parts in that I got to connect with people I ordinarily wouldn't but if I was aware of it, I would not have been checking my phone constantly and scrolling Twitter almost all the time. Especially as a lot of the negative stuff was becoming extremely intense. I was also sharing far too much of my personal life on Twitter and what I was going through; things which were best left for my therapist. 

Right now, I use the odd message board and Reddit. Nothing else. I might return to one of the other ones but hopefully I won't be using it as much.

It is not positive at all if things go wrong and there is no one to help. I now see I relied on o e social media platform way too much, though I had read various serious complaints about them. 

I got hacked out of my FB account, and the worst of it is that it was by someone I met not a few years ago online not a million miles away from here.

When I created a new account some paranoid  citizen, also supposed to be a friend, started asking me intrusive personal questions because he thought this new account was the hack too. Immediately after that FB locked me out. But there is something screwy about the automated systems to get in, because they won't let you, instead of allowing you back in with the new password it takes you back to the 'you have been locked' page and you just go round in circles. 

I have lost 15 years of memories, I can't get in touch with my students. I have lost touch with my cousins and niece, old friends, business partners, and my pages.

And yes I have been climbing the walls. But I don't suppose that matters either to a psychopath. 

I have taken it to an MEP, bring a dual citizen, to the BBS, found a pressure group on LinkedIn as FB is so trigger happy these days and their automated systems are faulty and inefficient, and the police, for all the good it will do. 

The fact that many companies now have social media policies now clearly show that it is a subject that needs to be taught as a standalone subject in schools - as a traditional Catholic, I take my cue from the traditional Teachings of the Catholic Church on this issue, as well as what the Bible has to say on this issue 

Frankly, I feel that all social media platforms should be banned in all countries, as it serves no useful nor functional purpose and creates far more problems than it pretends to solve - in our modern times, as clearly demonstrated by Covid, over several decades we have been conditioned to become far too reliant on the internet and mobile phones, which our grandparents generation were quite rightly opposed to before they passed in our teens in the 1980’s, when it was initially given out without any restrictions other than cost, with restrictions only being gradually brought in over time - I do not believe that any child (under 21) should be allowed anywhere near social media at all, for any reasons and the same applies to the internet and mobile phones for under 21, regardless of the (perceived) maturity or intelligence of that child - looking at some of the (utterly terrifying) advances in science and technology today, we could all do with both rejecting all of these and “rolling back” a lot of the changes we have seen in recent years and instead return to tradition - as I grew older, despite initially embracing tech in my teens, I gradually began to realise and accept that the downsides to tech far outweigh the advantages of same and that our grandparents were correct all along 

I've experienced both positive and negative effects. It can be great for staying connected and finding support, but it's also easy to get caught up in comparisons and the pressure to constantly be "on."

All I have really found with Social Media is it is a world of ignorance and I have the task of demonstrating why so many people are wrong or need them to think in a different way to decide if they believe they are still right or in some fight against the organisation.

All the answers are out there and there are enough conflicting arguments for you to tailor a position you believe is right with a reason behind the position rather than just blurting out some stupidity whilst referring to a single example to justify a position i.e. smoking is not bad for you because Doris smoked 60/ days since she was 11 and died aged 94 from natural causes.

My argumentative side makes Social Media tiring for me and is therefore most likely a bad thing but I do learn new things.

As for Social Media and body perfect... I don;t believe I am affected in any way other than recalling my youth in the student bar, on a lads holiday etc... rather than spending my time documenting myself from a room and missing out on life experiences.

I've always found social media (and even messaging apps like WhatsApp, Slack) really overwhelming. I've regularly been off of social media (I am currently), and even once replaced my smartphone with a basic one.

I think I've always struggled with social media, and the traditional platforms have only got more noisy and polarising and not so nice places to be. 

I much prefer being a part of smaller, more curated online communities (I've always had a fondness for old-school forums like Discourse - and this place we're all currently in!), more thoughtful and conducive to slower and more thoughtful conversations, as opposed to endless streams of meaningless stuff & folks shouting their opinions into the void for more attention. A few years ago I really liked twitter and made friends through there; these days I'm only on there for a minute before I feel overwhelmed and terrible. 

Only going to impact if you confuse it with the real world and take it seriously or give a stuff what total strangers think.

It's a good way to stay in contact and share silly moments with genuine friends but otherwise nothing it has to say is actually real, so why give it a second thought.

Right! i like your habbit

NAS84828 said:

On one hand, social media can provide a sense of community, support, and connection, especially for individuals who may feel isolated in their offline lives. It can facilitate the sharing of experiences, ideas, and resources, allowing people to find support networks and engage

I agree.....but think that it is helping solve a problem that was created (or at least massively exacerbated) by itself!  I don't need (nor want) endless friends and contacts, but I value random short cordial interactions with people as I go about my daily business.......people seem to do this VERY rarely these days....too busy on their phones!

Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes and yes.

.....wholly agree....although that won't surprise you Billy.

I see social media as a positive, it helps me to connect with others in a way that I wouldn’t in real life. That being said, I’m happy it wasn’t around during my formative years, I think there is a huge potential for negativity on teenagers. 

The impact of social media on mental health is a complex and ongoing subject of study. While there is evidence suggesting a correlation between social media use and increased rates of anxiety, depression, and other mental health concerns, it's important to recognize that social media affects individuals differently. Factors such as the frequency and intensity of usage, content consumed, individual vulnerability, and social support networks can all influence the relationship between social media and mental health.

On one hand, social media can provide a sense of community, support, and connection, especially for individuals who may feel isolated in their offline lives. It can facilitate the sharing of experiences, ideas, and resources, allowing people to find support networks and engage with like-minded individuals. Social media platforms also offer opportunities for self-expression, creativity, and learning.

On the other hand, excessive social media use, comparison to others, cyberbullying, and exposure to highly curated and filtered content can contribute to feelings of inadequacy, loneliness, and anxiety. The constant pressure to present a perfect image or receive validation through likes and comments can negatively impact self-esteem and well-being. Additionally, the addictive nature of social media can lead to excessive time spent on these platforms, potentially interfering with real-world relationships and activities.

To manage social media use and ensure it doesn't negatively impact well-being, individuals can consider implementing the following strategies:

Set boundaries: Establish specific time limits and designate social media-free periods to balance online and offline activities. Limit exposure to social media before bed to promote better sleep hygiene.

Curate your feed: Be mindful of the content you consume and the accounts you follow. Unfollow or mute accounts that evoke negative emotions or perpetuate unhealthy comparisons. Instead, seek out accounts that inspire, educate, and promote positivity.

Practice self-care: Engage in activities that promote mental and physical well-being, such as exercising, spending time in nature, pursuing hobbies, or engaging in face-to-face social interactions. Prioritize self-care over excessive social media scrolling.

Foster real connections: While social media can provide virtual connections, it's essential to prioritize and nurture real-world relationships. Make time for in-person interactions with friends, family, and loved ones.

Stay mindful: Be aware of your emotional responses when using social media. If you notice negative emotions or a decline in well-being, take a break or seek support from trusted individuals.

It's a cat-and-mouse game between the State, and the Critics they insist on defaming.

Interesting post. 

For me, I think if Western civilisation collapses, historians of the future will be able to look at social media to see why. I could be here all day saying all the harmful effects of it but first of all it has encouraged extremism and polarisatin of opinion. No one is capable of agreeing to disagree anymore, mainly because they have sorounded themselves with an echo chamber of people who agree with them on social media and have become used to abusing anyone who disagrees with them so much that when they come accross a person who disagrees with them in real life they don't know how to handle it. Alogarrithms of YouTube and misinformation on Twittter have also encouraged people to more and more extreme views and to seemingly becoming angry about everything. You can see this in everything from radicilasation for I**S and other organisations to the extreme right wing Trump supporters in the US

Social media has destroyed the very fabric of our societies

Also many people fail to realise why it is so addictive. We all see people scrolling endlessly through social media feeds on their phones all day, eyes and brains deadened by the dopimine shot the meaningless information in front of them is giving them. However, what we fail to realise is that it is not addictive by accident. It is deliberatley desgined by it's creators to be addictive, everything about it is designed by the social media companies to keep you scrolling for as long as possible. Thats why, for instance, if you havn't logged into Facebook for a while you will get a deluge of notifications saying that people in your friend's list have made posts. I think our society hasn't yet understood the mental damage that social media has inflicted upon people. In years to come I think it will be treated similar to alcahol or drug addiction. 

There have been some very interesting neurological studies into how social media is actually altering the make up of the human brain, causing certain areas of our brain to weaken while others grow. Scrolling all day also numbs the human brain in the same way that large amounts of alcahol or drugs do, it numbs our feelings and our intellect. Im no scientist so I can't pretend to understand it all but it is an interesting thing to read about and research if you have the time

I work with young people and I can attest first hand to the horrific mental health damage that social media has done to this and the previous generation. I wont go into it all here as I know there are some topics that are triggering for people but suffice to say young people's mental health has been severely damaged by social media. Things like body image and self esteem have been destroyed by it. I believe that it has also made young people mentally ill, believing things about themselves that aren't true and believing they are things they are not. Most young people are on social media from the second they wake up to the second they go to bed. As adults we have stood by while our young people ruin their minds and their lives on this stuff. It is something that, as an educator, worries me greatly. We talk about safeguarding children and then allow them to be exposed to the cesspit of social media all day. In fact many schools and colleges actively encourage it by encouraging students to engage with work and school news on social media like sites. Its very concerning

Honestly, free yourself from the mind numbing effects of social media and it will be like the scales have fallen from your eyes. You will feel free and alive again 

Hi Pip,

Thank you for sharing your experience with social media and how you have managed to make it work for you. I completely agree that the impact of social media can vary from person to person and it's important to find what works best for you.

It's great to hear that you did a cleanse of your social media and only kept people who you actually communicate with. I think this is a helpful approach to reducing the pressure and the amount of time spent on social media. Setting wellbeing timers is also a great idea to stay mindful and limit the amount of time spent on social media.

It's all about finding a balance and making sure that social media use doesn't negatively impact our mental health and well-being. Thanks for sharing your insights and tips with us.