FAQs
The Cons: Negative Effects of Social Media on Mental Health
What is the impact of social media on our mental health? ›
Social media can negatively impact our overall wellbeing by fueling anxiety, depression, loneliness and FOMO (fear or missing out). These issues are especially prevalent in teens and young adults. Social media is here to stay and will continue to evolve and become more invasive.
How does social media lead to anxiety and depression? ›
FOMO—fear of missing out—also plays a role. If everyone else is using social media sites, and if someone doesn't join in, there's concern that they'll miss jokes, connections, or invitations. Missing experiences can create anxiety and depression.
How social media addiction affects students? ›
The effects of social media addiction include anxiety or depression, increased isolation, decreased physical activity, low self-esteem, and poor work or school performance.
What is a solution to social media and depression? ›
Take breaks: Schedule regular breaks from social media. Research has found that taking several days off can lead to significant improvements in well-being, depression and anxiety.
How is mental health affected by the media? ›
The consequences of negative media images for people who have a mental illness are profound. They impair self-esteem, help-seeking behaviours, medication adherence and overall recovery. Mental health advocates blame the media for promoting stigma and discrimination toward people with a mental illness.
What are 10 negative impacts of social media? ›
The more time spent on social media can lead to cyberbullying, social anxiety, depression, and exposure to content that is not age appropriate. Social Media is addicting. When you're playing a game or accomplishing a task, you seek to do it as well as you can.
How does social media affect the brain? ›
Social media can affect the brain in many ways, including:
Reinforcement
Social media can be designed to be addictive, activating the brain's reward center and releasing dopamine, a "feel-good" chemical. Each like, comment, or video can be a mini reward, keeping users hooked on the next potential hit. This process is called "variable-ratio reinforcement" and can keep users constantly excited and rewarded.
Distraction
Social media can compete for attention, making it harder to ignore distractions. Heavy social media users may perform worse on cognitive tasks and have a smaller part of their brain responsible for maintaining attention.
Brain structure
Social media can permanently change the brain structure of young people, impacting how they think, feel, and act. For example, a National Academy of Sciences working group found that media multitasking among youth is associated with poorer memory and increased impulsivity.
Self-esteem
Social media can put pressure on people to put out a good picture of themselves and make it seem like their life is perfect. Here's How Social Media Affects Your Mental Health | McLean Hospital
Mar 29, 2024 — Social media has a reinforcing nature. Using it activates the brain's reward c...
What Social Media Does to Your Brain - NeuroGrow
Sep 21, 2020 — Through a process called “variable-ratio reinforcement,” you are constantly ex...
Neuroscience: What Social Media Does to Your Brain - Nivati
Dec 14, 2023 — It's been found that heavy social media users tend to perform worse on cogniti...
This is your brain on social media - CNN
Mar 16, 2023 — Sanjay also asks his teenage daughter, Sky, about how social media affects our...
How does social media impact the brain as it develops? - Khan Academy
Social media can permanently change young people's brain structure and impact how they wil...
Why we cant stop mindlessly scrolling and 7 tips to beat it - Unplugged
Jan 23, 2024 — Scrolling social media and websites activates the brain's reward centre by rel...
Protecting your mental wellness on social media
- Take stock of how your feeds make you feel. ...
- Understand what's happening in your brain. ...
- Try not to compare. ...
- Put some usage boundaries in place. ...
- Get strict about curation. ...
- Start over (or step away entirely)
While the internet can be a useful tool for many things, excessive use can negatively impact mental health. Some ways that excessive internet use can affect mental health include:
Anxiety
Reading negative news or researching symptoms online can increase anxiety. Seeing that you're excluded from an activity online can also affect your thoughts and feelings.
Depression and loneliness
Spending more time online can lead to a decline in communication with family and friends, which can increase feelings of depression and loneliness.
Sleep disruption
Using smartphones, computers, and tablets before bed can disrupt sleep cycles by suppressing melatonin. Blue light from screens can also trick the brain into thinking it's still daytime.
Internet addiction
Research has linked internet addiction to mental illnesses like depression, low self-esteem, and loneliness. Internet addiction can also negatively impact academic success and the ability to communicate in person. How The Internet Affects Your Mental Health | Piedmont Healthcare
Bradley University Online
How Does Technology Affect Mental Health? | Bradley University Online
While the internet can be an agent for good in terms of education and the strengthening of...
How the Internet Affects Your Mental Wellbeing - Healthline
Aug 21, 2020 — Screens at bedtime. Sleep deprivation is related to mental health conditions,
Here’s How Social Media Affects Your Mental Health
Mar 29, 2024 — Missing experiences can create anxiety and depression. When people look online...
Online Social Networking and Mental Health - PMC - NCBI
1. In this research, the authors found that increased time spent online is related to a de...
Other ways that internet use can impact mental health include:
- Cyberbullying: This can lead to depression in adolescents, especially girls or those who are already experiencing poor mental health.
- Body image and disordered eating: Social media use can contribute to these behaviors in adolescents.
- Poor cognitive functioning: Internet addiction can have a detrimental effect on identity formation and alter the structure of the developing brain.
- Participation in dangerous activities: Internet addiction can lead to this consequence.
- Poor food habits: Internet addiction can contribute to this consequence.
- Self-injurious behavior: Internet addiction can lead to this consequence.
- Problematic gaming: Certain types of games and motives for playing them can be predictive of mental health problems.
How Social Media Affects Your Teen's Mental Health: A Parent's Guide
Jun 17, 2024 — According to a research study of American teens ages 12-15, those who used soc...
National Institutes of Health (NIH) (.gov)
Are Mental Health Effects of Internet Use Attributable to the Web- ...
Jul 13, 2016 — Other research has shown that certain types of games (eg, massively multiplaye...
Impact of internet addiction on mental health among undergraduates in ...
Nov 7, 2022 — It has a detrimental influence on identity formation; it alters the structure o...
This is for informational purposes only. For medical advice or diagnosis, consult a professional. Generative AI is experimental.
Learn more…Opens in new tab Studies show that excessive social media use can have negative effects on teenagers' mental health, including:
Sleep disruption
Using social media before bed can disrupt sleep patterns, which can lead to tiredness and decreased focus during the day. Inadequate sleep can also increase stress and lead to a decline in overall mental health.
Unhealthy social comparison
Social media can expose teens to carefully curated images and posts, which can lead to unhealthy social comparison and unrealistic views of themselves compared to others. This can lead to low self-esteem or depression.
Online abuse
Online abuse can severely impact self-esteem, which can lead to anxiety and depression. 93% of people who have been cyberbullied say the experience had a negative impact on them, with most reporting feelings of sadness, powerlessness, and hopelessness. The Annie E. Casey Foundation
Social Media and Teen Mental Health - The Annie E. Casey Foundation
Aug 10, 2023 — Negative Psychological Effects of Social Media on Teen Mental Health. Numerous...
The Effects of Social Media on Teens - Talkspace
Sep 11, 2023 — Mental health concerns Social media offers near-constant exposure to carefully...
The Impact of Social Media on Teenagers' Mental Health - LinkedIn
Dec 7, 2023 — Sleep and Well-being Using social media late at night can affect sleep. Staying...
Capital University, Columbus Ohio
The Impact of Social Media on Mental Health in Students - Capital University
Such online abuse can severely impact self-esteem, at times leading to anxiety and depress...
Other negative effects of social media use on teenagers' mental health include: anxiety, depression, poor body image, and eating disorder behaviors. The Annie E. Casey Foundation
Social Media and Teen Mental Health - The Annie E. Casey Foundation
Aug 10, 2023 — Negative Psychological Effects of Social Media on Teen Mental Health. Numerous...
Here are some strategies to limit social media use and protect your mental health:
- Track your time on apps
- Turn off push notifications
- Move social media apps off your home screen
- Set up “no phone zones” and “no phone times”
7 Ways To Protect Your Mental Health When You Use Social Media
Here are some limit-setting strategies to try: * Track your time on apps. ... * Turn off ...
However, the self-isolation, lack of physical activity, and distortion of reality caused by social media addiction can worsen depression and anxiety considerably. Sadly, in some cases, addicts may become so depressed or anxious that they have thoughts of self-harm or consider ending their lives.
Why is social media unhealthy? ›
The cons of social media
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.
How does social media affect happiness? ›
Disrupted sleep, lower life satisfaction and poor self-esteem are just a few of the negative mental health consequences that researchers have linked to social media. Somehow the same platforms that can help people feel more connected and knowledgeable also contribute to loneliness and disinformation.
Why is social media mentally draining? ›
Because social media may foster feelings of FOMO, isolation, and low self-esteem, using these platforms may exacerbate symptoms in people who already have these conditions. Stepping away from social media may improve these symptoms.
What is the impact of social media on society? ›
People who spend much time on social media are more likely to experience anxiety and depression. Social media can lead to addiction. Social media can be addictive; people can spend hours scrolling through their feeds, checking notifications, and responding to messages.
How does social media affect human behavior? ›
When social media forces us to constantly engage in social comparison, we're filled with negative emotions: envy, shame, anxiety, or conceit. When we're frequently exposed to negative content, fear and outrage can become the norm, eroding our sense of goodness and shared humanity.
