Oct. 6, 2022 | The average American adult spends roughly two hours on social media every day. According to the National Center for Health Statistics, the life expectancy for Americans is 77 years. Assuming that an individual begins using social media at the age of 10, that’s almost 49,000 hours spent scanning, scrolling and swiping through endless posts on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and other online outlets. The most used social media platform is Facebook, with nearly 3 billion active users worldwide. That means that roughly 36 percent of the world’s population is using Facebook today. Young people growing up today have never known a world without social media as a means of connecting with friends and classmates. For good or for bad, social media is a way for people to stay connected from almost anywhere at any time. It’s important to recognize that social media can make things more difficult for some people and to know what consequences it can hold.

Oct. 6, 2022 | The Pew Research Center noted in its report “Teens, Social Media and Technology 2022” that 95 percent of young people in this country between the ages of 13 and 17 have access to a smartphone. That means they also have access to social media outlets like Twitter, Twitch, Reddit and Tumblr. YouTube was the most popular online platform among teens, used by 95 percent of those surveyed, followed by TikTok at 67 percent, Instagram and Snapchat. With so many young people exploring social media, it’s important to remember that interactions with others via a screen or in written message can have a negative impact on those whose brains are still developing. It’s with this in mind that Instagram last year rolled out an option to allow users to hide “like” and “view” counts on all posts in their feed. This allows users to focus on the content rather than the popularity of their posts. Users can also hide the like and view counts on their own posts from other users.

Oct. 6, 2022 | With a new platform or technology debuting almost every day, it’s a question more people are asking themselves, is spending time on social media causing my feelings of isolation or am I spending time online because of my feelings? Research studies have shown that people who frequently use social media feel more depressed and less happy with life than those who spend more time on non-screen-related activities. Depression or anxiety can cause you to isolate yourself. Spending more time online may be a sign that you’re withdrawing from others. Because of algorithms used by certain platforms, what you click on then affects what you see next. If you click on things that bother you, you’re likely to be shown more of those things. Repeated scrolling through disturbing content can increase stress and anxiety. Teens are particularly at risk as studies have found links between patterns in their social media use and mental health problems.

Oct. 6, 2022 | Doomscrolling, the act of viewing endless feeds on social media without pause, became so popular during the COVID-19 pandemic that the Oxford English Dictionary made it one of its words of the year for 2020 and added it to the dictionary. Some attribute doomscrolling to the condition known as FOMO, or fear of missing out. When co-workers or classmates are using social media, you may worry about missing a message, inside joke or information that connects you to your peers. However, constant checking and scrolling can have a detrimental effect on work and studying. The distraction can lead to procrastination, less retention of information, and higher levels of stress. You may also experience feelings of exclusion, loneliness or anxiety when you see posts of others having a good time. Having the whole digital world at your fingertips can put a damper on getting out and having real social connections and in-person interactions.

Oct. 6, 2022 | If you are worried that social media is taking a toll on your mental health, here are some suggestions to improve your situation. First, limit your time on social media platforms. Some have settings that will help you do this automatically on your phone. Second, consider what sites and profiles you visit regularly. If they make you feel bad, you should unfollow them. Before you post something about yourself or someone else, consider if you would make this comment in an in-person setting. Remember that what you post will be very hard to take back or remove and take into consideration that what people post, or what you see, may not be honest or real presentations of their experiences or lives. If you are having trouble distancing yourself from unhealthy social media habits, make an appointment with a health care provider to be screened for anxiety and depression. They will recommend the treatment or course of action that’s best for you.