Social media is something that the majority of us use, it is a place where we go to share and document our lives, connect with friends, grow businesses and also have an opportunity to make a living through. It is now a normal part of our lives.
The positives of social media are great: the chance to build community, spread awareness for topics such as mental health, document your journey and being able to see your progress and growth, emotional support through building relationships and connections and making businesses thrive.
However, there are a lot of downsides to social media that can impact and start to take an effect on our mental health, and we need to be aware of it. How people interact with social media can deeply influence their emotional and psychological well-being.
The negative impact of social media
Social Comparison: Social media platforms often present curated, idealised versions of people’s lives, constant exposure to this might make individuals feel they are not doing enough, and they start to compare their life to others across social media, this can lead to people leading themselves down the wrong path and not sticking to their own.
This is something to be aware of. Remember, most of the time, people only show the best part of their life on social media, so you do you and remember that you are on your journey, so keep doing your own thing.
Online bullying: Social media provides an opportunity for people to harass or bully others anonymously, which can have devastating effects on mental health. Victims of cyberbullying may experience increased anxiety, depression, and even suicidal ideation. It is always so important to be kind to one another and be respectful; unfortunately, this is not the case for some people, and this can have serious effects on mental health.
If this is something you have experienced or are experiencing, there is a national helpline available and tons of information – https://www.nationalbullyinghelpline.co.uk/
Screen Time and Sleep Quality: Many individuals use social media late into the night, which can disrupt sleep patterns. The blue light emitted from screens can interfere with the production of melatonin, a hormone that regulates sleep, leading to poor sleep quality and subsequent mental health issues like irritability and mood swings. Try and reduce your screen time, especially before bed, put your phone down a couple of hours before you sleep and maybe try some reading, drawing, journalling, stretching, etc. This will hopefully make a difference to your sleep quality; thus, you will see the mental benefits.
I hope you have found this helpful and can see how social media can be very positive, but it can also be the complete opposite and can have an effect on our mental health. it’s important to be aware of these negatives and be able to navigate around these as best as possible.
Lots of love x