Social media is omnipresent in our lives. And people are so used to using social platforms that they made them part of their daily (even hourly) routine. Last year, Facebook alone had more than 2,45 billion active users per month.
Wherever you go, you see people checking their smartphones for Facebook or Twitter updates or taking selfies for their Instagram account. Almost all businesses are present on social media; it's a must. Even grandparents got the hang of these social tools.
No matter why you use these platforms, one thing is for sure; it's hard to avoid them. So hard that specialists are talking about social media addiction and even offer treatments for it. So how exactly is social media affecting our mental health?
One common issue related to social media overuse is poor quality sleep or lack of sleep. Bright screens such as that of smartphones are known for their negative effect on sleep (they mess with the pituitary gland which is directly responsible for falling asleep). This is why most doctors recommend time off TV or smartphones right before bed time. Scrolling down social media platforms up until falling asleep doesn't quite lead to sweet dreams. Studies show that people who use social media for 3 or more hours a day frequently have problems falling asleep or waking up in the morning.
Moreover, it is not only the light coming from your smartphone that impairs your sleep quality. It also has to do with the state of agitation or excitement you get from reading the news, scrolling down photos or watching videos.
Common mental problems that affect a large part of the population such as depression or anxiety worsen in the absence of good quality sleep. Hence, one established connection between social media and mental wellbeing.
Whether social media can actually be blamed for causing depression, anxiety ot other problems is still to be established. There is little research that currently points out to social platform as a leading factor. This phenomenon is relatively new and more study ia required to indicate how bad social media abuse is.
What we know for sure is that we can talk about addiction as many people admit they can't let a day go by without accessing their social accounts. Others also complain about withdrawal issues upon quitting social media, followed by a subsequent state of void and dissatisfaction.
While social platforms are great in fulfilling their main aim, that is, enabling people to socialize, there are several drawbacks in overusing them. Bottom line, the key to a healthy mind and good social life (be it online or not) is always moderation.
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