Social media has become an integral part of our everyday lives, however, it hasn’t always been for the best. Social media at its best can be used to check in on friends and family, follow our favourite brands, promote our business, and foster real connections online. It is only when we lose sight of real-life connections that social media use can affect our mental health.
Social media has integrated itself as a regular part of everyday life for children and teenagers, but has also had a negative impact on their mental health. See how social media has created more anxiety in some of our teens and when used for the wrong reasons, can do more harm than good.
How Does Social Media Affect Teenage Mental Health?
A Platform for Comparison - With open access to other people’s lives we have constant access to who people are with, what they are doing, what they are wearing, and even, what they are eating. This leaves us to compare the quality of our lives to other peoples. In the past, the party you weren’t invited to or the promotion you didn’t get would have been easier to deal with as you wouldn’t have had access to it 24/7.
FOMO - The term FOMO has been coined in the social media age and happens when individuals have constant access to the events of other people and feel like there is something wrong or inadequate about their own lives. This can cause people to compulsively spend more time on social media, constantly checking notifications and responding to every message. This becomes increasingly problematic to our mental health once this begins interfering with social situations, school work and jobs.
Setting Unrealistic Standards - In an age that was already so heavily influenced by glossy magazine centerfolds, perfectly presented images are available for our perusal 24 hours a day.
This is especially hard for teenagers in a time where they should be focused on acceptance of their characters, values and habits, and be putting less pressure on the way they look and dress.
Social Media’s Reward System - Science has backed that the little button built into every social media platform acts like a drug in the brain. Every time we get a like or comment our brains trigger a hit of dopamine – the same feeling as digging into a dessert or having a drink.
This can cause us to repeatedly or obsessively check comments, statuses and updates like addicts. This reward system leads us to be constantly hunting likes and comments, so much so that we become a slave to our phones – potentially compromising our own goals and values for likes.
Pressure to be Popular - In an attempt to win likes and validation, a lot of crazy things are published online. This puts kids in a position to continue publishing content that compromises their character, and goes against their values, in an attempt to fit in. This is often at the expense of another which cultivates an unsupportive culture and leads many to feel unsafe.
Security Blanket - Before the age of social media, most people would be forced to improvise in awkward social situations – practice their breathing, jump into the conversation, or find a friend close by. Now the option to escape into your phone is so easy and readily available that many people are using it as a security blanket.
Of course, everyone is different and the way social media can affect you will depend on each person.
Here are some ways you can tell if social media is having a negative effect on your mental health
You are spending more time on social media than with your friends/family: If social media has become a substitute for your face-to-face interaction or if you find yourself in social situations, constantly wanting to check social media.
You are comparing yourself constantly and feeling envious of others: If you are constantly wanting what others have or comparing your life to others online or if you’ve developed a negative view of your life and your body.
You are distracted at school or work: if you feel pressure to post constantly about yourself and are seeking comments, likes and replies.
You are engaging in risky behaviors to gain likes: if you find yourself compromising your values or doing things that are out of character.
You have worsening symptoms of anxiety and depression: Rather than lift you and boost your mood you find yourself more anxious and depressed after using social media.
Modifying Your Teenagers' Social Media Use to Improve Mental Health
Reduce their time spent online
Reducing your child's time spent online or on their phones can drastically improve their mood. Just teaching them to be aware of the effects of social media and how often they are using their phone can make a big difference!
Put a time limit on how much time they are allowed to spend on your phone daily and don’t allow them to bring their phone to the dinner table or bed. Encourage them to find other activities to fill their days. While it might seem extreme, as their parents it’s your responsibility to keep them safe so taking their phone away right before bedtime might be best. This can improve their sleeping habits and discourage them from talking to strangers or receiving/sending inappropriate photos.
2. Change their focus
Many of us don’t even realize how much time we spend on social media. This is because scrolling social media has become second nature for many of us. We often pick up our phones out of boredom and don’t stop to question why.
Take a second to question their motivation for opening social media. Is it to check on a sick friend or post an update about their family? If that’s the case you will find the experience very different than if they’re bored and want to check up on what other people are doing.
Also, ask them if they are using social media actively or passively. Are they just scrolling to have a peek into what other people are doing or are they actively commenting and engaging online? One can make you feel more isolated while the other can foster engagement and connections.
3. Encourage teens to spend more time with offline friends
We all need face-to-face quality time to be happy. Social media can be a great tool to foster real-life connections. Sometimes it’s used to foster virtual connections to replace or substitute for real-life interactions. If you notice your child is isolating themselves, try reaching out to an old friend, encourage them to join a club, interact with strangers, or reconnect with family. We need these real-life relationships to feel wholly connected to ourselves and the world around us. Go through a family photo album, watch a movie together, or schedule a day out.
4. Remind them to be grateful
Sometimes it’s easy to forget about the good things happening in our own lives. Taking a moment to reflect on what we have and be grateful for the friends, family, jobs, and experiences we have every day can help ease those feelings of FOMO and comparison and remind you of the things to be grateful for in your own life.
5. Invest in Them and Their Hobbies
Taking time to get to know yourself is a great way to fill the time you are currently spending on social media. This can encourage your child to explore their interests and foster new connections. The more engaged your child is offline the less their mood and self-worth will be dependent on likes and comments online.
Childhood and teen years are already filled with developmental challenges and social pressures. For some kids, social media has been a way of magnifying those issues and fuelling anxiety, bullying, depression, and self-esteem issues. If your child's social media use has gotten out of hand, help them find ways to use these platforms more positively and introduce ways to foster better connections offline.
We can work to support your or your teen by offering better tools for anxiety management and to help improve self self-esteem. We help our clients get excited about investing in themselves. Contact our clinic today for more information.
