However, multiple studies have found a strong link between heavy social media and an increased risk for depression, anxiety, loneliness, self-harm, and even suicidal thoughts. Social media may promote negative experiences such as:
Inadequacy about your life or appearance
.
It has made it easy to connect to our family members, friends and relatives on a real-time basis. With social media,
people can share pictures and videos and communicate with their close ones
. This has strengthened relationships and it is bringing families together in a way that was not possible in the past.
Young people spend a lot of time on social media. They’re also
more susceptible to peer pressure, low self-esteem and mental ill-health
. A number of studies have found associations between increased social media use and depression, anxiety, sleep problems, eating concerns, and suicide risk.
Spending more than 3 hours on social media per day puts adolescents at a
higher risk for mental health problems
. 13% of kids ages 12-17 report depression and 32% report anxiety. 25% of 18 to 25-year-olds report mental illness. … 59% of US teens experienced cyberbullying or online harassment.
Social media has
exponentially increased the resources for mental health information and support
. Research shows that people who get support from peers (those struggling with the same problems) have better health outcomes, whether they have a physical condition like diabetes or a psychological one like depression.
However, multiple studies have found a strong link between heavy social media and an increased risk for depression, anxiety, loneliness, self-harm, and even suicidal thoughts. Social media may promote negative experiences such as:
Inadequacy about your life or appearance
.
- cyberbullying (bullying using digital technology)
- invasion of privacy.
- identity theft.
- your child seeing offensive images and messages.
- the presence of strangers who may be there to ‘groom’ other members.
Studies have shown that increased use of social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Tiktok is leading to
depression, anxiety, and loneliness
. The COVID-19 pandemic has not only pushed more people to the platforms but has also caused people to spend unusual amounts of time cruising their feeds.
There’s bad news for those self-proclaimed social media “addicts”: multiple studies from the last year show that too
much
time spent on your favorite platforms can make you depressed and less satisfied with life. It starts early, too; even young teens report negative effects from social media obsession.
| Pros Cons | Put yourself out there in a good way Posting inappropriate statuses/pictures | Connect with students in other educational systems Making people feel bad about themselves | Make new friends/communicate or connect with old friends/family Cyberbullying |
|---|
- Social Media Makes It Easier to Make Friends. …
- Social Media Fosters Empathy. …
- Social Media Allows for Speedy Communication. …
- Social Media Makes the World Seem Smaller. …
- Social Media Helps You Build Relationships. …
- Social Media Helps News Travel Faster.
Since it’s a relatively new technology, there’s little research to establish the long-term consequences, good or
bad
, of social media use. However, multiple studies have found a strong link between heavy social media and an increased risk for depression, anxiety, loneliness, self-harm, and even suicidal thoughts.
Some of the benefits of social media are:
Having a platform to showcase technological savvy and creativity
.
Increased self-confidence by empowering introverts to express their ideas
.
The ability to create lifelong friends
.
Too much use of social media can have adverse effects on students’ minds, and they may also be
exposed to bad posture, eye strain, and physical and mental stress
.
What are the negative effect of Facebook?
Three main negative effects that could arise from using Facebook include
loss of sleep, depression, and putting one in a dangerous situation
. At a quick glance, Facebook may be perceived as an intriguing and enjoyable website, but the addictions that sometimes arise from overuse correlate to fatal effects.
Twitter
is a little trickier for this, not least because it’s considered by many to be the most toxic of all the social media platforms, and in the Hedeonometer, which has been measuring the average happiness of Twitter users since 2009, recorded 2020 as the saddest year on record.
