quotes about negative effects of social media

As mentioned in King University Online’s Psychology of Social Media guide, the mental health advocacy organization Painted Brain has outlined ways that social media can positively impact mental health. Use social media to connect with people who inspire you, share similar interests, and provide a sense of belonging.Ī way to combat the negative effects of social media is to instead use it in a positive way that strengthens and maintains connections with others. We have the power to exit social media, and the moment we start feeling negative in any way, that’s the time to disconnect. For others, it’s when they start feeling down because it appears others are doing fun things while they’re bored at home. For some, that may mean stopping if they’re upset that their post isn’t getting as many likes as anticipated or noticing that they’re constantly comparing themselves to others. No matter the reason, the moment being on social media starts to trigger negative feelings is the time you need to stop scrolling. We may constantly check social media sites because of the psychology of FOMO and the power of likes. Therefore, it’s important to be aware of the addictive potential of social media sites. After all, these networks are designed to keep us engaged as long as possible. Know when it’s time to stop scrolling.Ī lot of our social media use is compulsive. The general idea with this tip is to establish healthy boundaries with our use of social media. Other examples include putting your smartphone away when out with others or when eating meals with family. For example, two rules that I enforce daily is 1) no scrolling social media within an hour after waking up and 2) put my smartphone away at least an hour before bed. Other ways to start setting limits on social media is to implement a few simple rules you can apply to your daily life. Last year, Instagram also added the “Your Activity” setting which shows the average time you spent on Instagram in the last week. There are several ways to track, monitor, and block the amount of time spent on social media, including several apps. Riehms and colleagues published in JAMA Psychiatry found that adolescents who used social media for more than three hours a day may be at higher risk of mental health problems.

Studies have shown that the amount of time spent daily on social media is associated with negative emotions. Set limits on the amount of time you spend on social media. Once we know our patterns and the emotions involved in our social media use, we can then be more proactive on ways to counteract the negative effects of social media.

Do you tend to feel better or worse when utilizing social media? Does it lower your self-esteem, cause you to feel depressed, or do you feel better after being on social media?.

How do you use social media? Do you use it to see what other people are doing? Or do you use it to communicate and stay connected with others?.

How much time do you spend daily on social media?.

What is your pattern of social media use? For example, do you wake up and immediately start scrolling, do you scroll during breaks, before bed, etc.?.

To start, ask yourself the following questions:

Since much of our social media use involves mindless scrolling, the best way to take control of our use is to first be conscious of how we’re using social networking sites in the first place. Be mindful of your social media habits.īeing mindful means being more conscious and aware of our patterns. The study of negative effects of social media is a popular topic in psychology today. So, how do we put limits on our social media use in order to prevent these negative effects? The following are some helpful ways you can be proactive to combat the negative effects of social media.

Though most of the studies done thus far have been on the impact of social media on adolescents, adults are prone as well.Įven as a psychiatrist who is aware of the negative impact of social media on our mental health, I’ve struggled several times with comparing myself to others, and I’ve had several patients report similar issues. Social media use in excess has been linked to several negative emotions such as increased loneliness, anxiety, and depression. Many of us find ourselves mindlessly scrolling through social media, and before we know it, hours have passed by, and we are often left feeling worse than we did when we started. This blog post was written by guest contributor Dr.

Quotes about negative effects of social media