I use social media and I love it. I love how our phone can be a little window into the world and how we can all feel united. I love how I can talk to my friends on social media and share funny memes. We can also feel connected to celebrities and idols by liking their posts or watching their stories, it seems this feeling of connection was not being able to be achieved before social media. So, it’s great that we live in a new world where we can express our feelings through technology. However, there is a toxic side, where we often don’t feel ‘good enough’ or be able to conform to the forever changing societal expectations in the world around us.
Comparison is one of the main culprits.
Its almost impossible to not compare yourself to other people as its human nature. But social media seems to increase that envy and jealousy. I often find that I compare myself to celebrities, whether it be their appearance, wealth or popularity. Doing this you can feel insignificant and unimportant which isn’t good for your mental health. I unfollowed celebrities, to avoid the comparison whilst I scrolled down my feed. This helped me a lot. As most celebrities have public accounts, if I wanted to see what a certain celebrity was up to, I could go and check. Rather than unwillingly knowing that they’re on holiday while I’m stuck in school.
It’s not just comparison though, fear of missing out, loneliness and self- absorption are all subtle side effects. Sometimes, we don’t even realise we are feeling all of these things whilst using social media.
So how can we identify if we are?
Everyone is different, however the main signs that social media is effecting our mental health are ; sleep problems, doing things you wouldn’t normally do just for likes and attention, feeling distracted, spending all of your free time on social media and having no time for self-reflection.
So how can we better our mental health whilst still using social media?
To better our mental health we can not bring our phones to bed can reduce screen time and means we can be fully rested and have a better night’s sleep. Limiting the amount of time, you spend on your phone per day and turning off notifications can also really help. Also, calling people rather then texting can mean that we could be less distracted and have more of a focus.
Therefore, it’s important that we use social media but it’s also important that we use it in moderation.
I am not trying to say that social media is bad. But remember, that your mental health is one of the most important things that you can take care of. And studies have shown that less screen time has been able to reduce anxiety and depression. So, we can set ourselves a challenge and try to spend an hour less on our phone per day and maybe go for a walk or do something else we enjoy.
By Ally Gilmour Royal Russell School
