Social media is a recent phenomenon that has rapidly become a staple of modern society. Billions worldwide use platforms like Tik Tok, Facebook, and Instagram to connect with friends and family, share photos and videos, and engage with their community.
The rise of social media has had some unintended consequences. The media was created for communication, but now, it’s harming people’s mental health because it increases dissatisfaction in life, which in effect causes triggering comparison to others. This can later lead to depression and anxiety. People tend to be on their screens for hours at a time and by not getting the sleep, rest, or exercise, their mental health is affected in the long term.
Social media is one of the main components affecting people’s mental health because it is easy to compare one’s life to another person’s life, leading to more significant cognitive problems.
According to the New York Times, “Facebook’s internal research showed that Instagram, in particular, had caused teen girls to feel worse about their bodies and led to increased rates of anxiety and depression, even while company executives publicly tried to minimize the app’s downsides.”
Teenage girls compare themselves to other people they see in the media, and as an effect, low self-esteem, depression, and anxiety may be provoked in the long term. According to internal research, Facebook is trying to minimize these effects, but it will take a long time to accomplish its goal.
In addition, during the Covid-19 pandemic, the effects of social media on mental health have been more noticeable because people’s screen time has increased. “The impact of screen time could be found in what it replaces if kids and teens are spending excessive amounts of time in front of a screen,” according to U.S. News. “In that case, they may not be engaging in other healthy activities, including exercising, sleeping or spending time with others, all of which promote mental health.”
With the increase in kids’ and teens’ screen time, human needs are being substituted with hours in front of an electronic device. Having mental stability depends on exercising, sleeping, and socializing, but it is greatly affected by excessive time spent on a device.
Overall, social media has become a significant component in improving or damaging individuals’ mental health. Studies have shown that people compare themselves to others because of how they see people’s lives in the media. It sometimes results in undergoing stages in life like experiencing low-self esteem, depression, or anxiety.
Other than that, screen time has been replacing people’s needs to stay healthy, and therefore, their mental health is influenced in some ways. Social Media will become more widespread in the years to come, and people’s mental health will be more harshly affected if these companies don’t take action.