- 59% of the world uses social media (4.7 billion people)
- there were 227 million new social media users in the last year alone
- the average time spent on social media is almost 2.5 hours a day
While this might not surprise you, the negative impact social media has on our mental wellbeing might.
Of course, social media has many positives but when you begin to feel it is having more negative effects on your mental health, it’s time to make some changes.
How social media can negatively impact our mental health
Constant use of social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat and many others can affect us both mentally and physically. From feelings of anxiety and symptoms of depression to disruptive sleep patterns, these can take their toll on our overall wellbeing if we don’t make some changes. These are just a few ways we might be affected by social media.- Anxiety and depression
- Cyberbullying
- Fear of missing out (FOMO)
- Unrealistic expectations
- Negative body image
- Poor sleep
How to avoid the pitfalls
You may have experienced some, if not all, of the above but there are ways to avoid the negative side of social media with a few small adjustments to your habits.1. Limited usage
There’s no doubt that social media can be addictive. Have you ever found yourself checking your phone every five minutes to see if your recently uploaded photo has more likes, or what your favourite influencer had for their breakfast? If so, it’s a good idea to limit your usage. You could start by disabling notifications as they can be a huge distraction and also encourage you to log on when you should be focusing on something else. Alternatively, if you don’t need your phone/device to be switched on at work, turn it off altogether and allow yourself a set amount of time once you're home to spend on social media. According to the Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, you should limit your usage to just 30 minutes a day.
2. Unfollow people
Not everyone that we follow or have as a connection on social is our friend. So, you might find yourself feeling aggravated, angry or resentful about their posts. If certain people do trigger these negative emotions in you, consider removing them from your account.3. Be careful with what you share
Once you post something to a social domain, it becomes open to the public. Although your settings might be set to private, there’s nothing stopping a connection sharing your post or even downloading an image. Make sure that you either have full privacy control over what you post or don’t mind it being in the public domain.4. Be authentic
It’s all too easy to fall into the trap of enhancing your 'selfies' but this can have a negative impact on your self-esteem and self-confidence. Remember that many of the images you see on social media are also edited, filtered and airbrushed and do not represent reality. Avoid heavily editing images of yourself and instead portray your authentic self; you’ll be surprised at how much other people will respect and appreciate you for it. When you advocate authenticity, you’ll be helping others, and this will make you feel good about yourself too.5. Put your phone away in social situations
When you spend time with your friends, make a pact to keep phones out of sight. This has several benefits:- You’ll enjoy more quality time without distraction
- You won’t have that fear of missing out as you’ll be having such a good time
- You’ll be spending time with people who make you feel good about yourself
Further information
For more about healthy social media use, read our FREE booklet 'Healthy social media use – getting the most out of social media for your psychological wellbeing'Or why not watch the recording of our webinar 'Getting the Most Out Of Social Media For Your Wellbeing' and access the resources provided during this webinar.
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