The Impacts of Social Media on Mental Health

It is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore the booming of Social media and how it has become a necessity in our life. People use it for long-distance communication, entertainment, and many more. The usage is simple and versatile to all ages that most people choose to use social media instead of phone service nowadays. But why is it important to talk about social media? Our generation is already living in a world where social media is taking over our social capability. It is crucial for the people of our generation to be knowledgeable about what impact social media could bring to our mental health and real-life sociability.

When we talk about social media, we think of Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, and Youtube. Everyone uses all these applications to connect with people from other parts of the world, or we simply want entertainment like memes, celebrity gossip, and funny videos.

Everyone of the same interest assembles in cyberspace where we’d all meet and chat. People from different countries and languages, people of many ages, or even different lifestyles operate from separate screens, but all with similar interests in the online world. It’s the easiest way to connect and talk to people about things we’re passionate about, but it’s damaging to our mental health when our time in the online world continues excessively. Melinda Smith, author of the article, “Smartphone Addiction”, stated that maladaptive use of smartphones can disrupt sleep, which can have a serious effect on our mental health, memory, the ability to think clearly and reduce cognitive and learning skills.

Another problem with it is how it grew into an obsession. Social Media provides us with bite-sized chunks of recognition from likes, followers, and comments on our posts. We are enticed to receive acknowledgment from strangers on the other side of the world by showing filtered pictures that look different in the real world; all of that because every single person wants to look better than how they are in real life. The obsession to be perfect all the time in the internet world lowers our self-esteem in real life; resulting in a high percentage of depression, anxiety, and frustration problems in early adolescence. It’s no exaggeration to say that our generation is on the brink of the worst mental-health crisis in decades. According to American psychologist - Jean Twenge – rates of teen depression and suicide have skyrocketed since 2011, and much of this deterioration can be traced to our phones. The rise of smartphones and social media has caused a great deal of maneuver in our lives and it has the highest impact on the people that grew up with it. Teenagers nowadays don’t even go out as much as they used to anymore. Why should we; when the entertainment and connections of friends to satisfy our boredom and loneliness is at the palm of our hands?

This brings attention to sociability. Adolescence is the stage of life between childhood and adulthood. It’s the perfect phase to develop the fundamentals of biological growth and social transition. Concurrently, social media is eating away people's supposedly innate ability to connect properly in real life. Several studies show that depression can lead to negative mood, difficulty enjoying chosen activities, and reduced desire for social interaction. Furthermore, some people may even feel isolated when they spend too much time alone with their phones. These symptoms will make it much worst for people to find new relationships. Excessive use of smartphones can also cause sleep deprivation, posing a risk to our psychical health.

Social media has become part of our lives, but it doesn’t mean it should control our lives. Generation Z needs to realize that there’s more than just magic screens in our lives. Getting on social media all the time just because we’re bored doesn’t seem like a good idea in the long term. Focus on family members, friends, and weave new connections in real life. Limiting screen time or finding new hobbies can also be a solution to treat addictions to social media.