The Impact of Social Media on Mental Health

Social media has become a ubiquitous part of our daily lives, but what impact is it having on our mental health? There is a growing body of research that suggests social media use may be linked to increased rates of anxiety, depression, and other mental health concerns.

On the other hand, some argue that social media can have positive effects, such as providing a sense of community and support, and connecting individuals with similar interests and experiences.

What do you think? Has social media impacted your mental health in any way? How do you manage your social media use to ensure it doesn't negatively impact your well-being? Do you believe social media has a net positive or negative effect on mental health?

Parents

IrishInManchesterUK over 2 years ago

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

Reply

IrishInManchesterUK over 2 years ago

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

Children

No Data