The internet has become an integral part of life for most people across the globe. Whether you need the Internet for work and school or to connect with loved ones, it has profoundly impacted daily life. Social media, in particular, has become an important part of many people’s daily lives. Every day people can create and share content and engage with social networks worldwide. Everyone from children and adolescents to adults and parents use social media in a variety of different ways.
At The Guest House, we recognize that there is often an underlying cause or trigger for many mental health disorders. Trauma is often at the root of many mental health challenges like depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The stress of trauma when left unaddressed can impair your psychological well-being and contribute to self-defeating behaviors like substance misuse. When you are overwhelmed by traumatic stress, it can feel difficult or impossible to cope with typical life stressors. Therefore, you deserve trauma-specific treatment that supports symptom management and the best ways to care for yourself throughout life.
It is the Guest House’s mission to provide a safe, comfortable, and stress-free environment where you can heal. You deserve the opportunity to reclaim your physical and psychological health by building a toolkit of knowledge for lasting recovery. With holistic support, you can dismantle unhealthy coping strategies to effectively respond to stressors in your daily life.
Furthermore, you may question what role your social media usage plays in your recovery. How do you form healthy social media habits in a world where it has woven itself into daily life? Expanding your understanding of social media’s impact on mental health can support building healthier habits and mental wellness.
Addressing Social Media as a Source of Trauma
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), around 95% of youth, 13-17, and 40% from 8-12 use a social media platform. Moreover, a third of young people say they are constantly using social media. Further, as Cureus notes, among young adults and adults who use social media, 74% are internet users. Both Cureus and HHS highlight that people utilize the Internet and social media in various ways that impact their lives. For instance:
- 80% research doctors, hospitals, and medical news and information
- 19.9% of college students experience problematic social media exposure
- Access to questionable communities
- 58% of young people feel more accepted by others
- 67% of young people feel like they have a support network
- 71% of people feel like they can express their creativity
- 80% of people feel like they can stay connected to their loved ones
The various ways people use social media speak to how it can both support and harm well-being. Thus, understanding how social media contributes to and reduces harm can support building a healthy recovery toolkit for everyday life.
In recent years, research has highlighted the close relationships between social media and trauma. The prevalence of trauma in social media is particularly apparent in the news. As the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) states, technology has made it easier to learn about tragic events happening all over the world. Thus, frequent exposure to the news through social media can exacerbate stress-related symptoms.
Exposure to traumatic news like war, school shootings, climate change, and cancel culture can overwhelm and contribute to trauma-related conditions. However, news alone is not the only use of social media that can contribute to poor mental well-being. There are a variety of ways social media can impair mental health.
Ways Social Media Can Harm Mental Well-Being
Platforms like TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook have become a common fixture in many people’s routines. As noted in “Social Media’s Impact on Our Mental Health and Tips to Use It Safely” from UC Davis Health, around 4.9 billion people use social media worldwide. Moreover, the average person can spend up to 145 minutes or almost 2 1/2 hours on social media daily. Thus, an excessive amount of social media use can contribute to negative mental health outcomes across age groups. Children, teens, and adults experience increased rates of depression, anxiety, loneliness, and in some cases self-harm and suicidal ideation.
According to the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (NYC DOHMH), children, teens, and adults are being asked to understand, evaluate, and manage the use of technology that even the most advanced research is still trying to grasp. Thus, the statistics related to social media use highlight the complexity and lack of digital literacy that hinders well-being:
- Rates of depression and anxiety among social media and non-social media users
- Children between 8 and 12 years old
- Non-social media users
- 4% experience depression
- 12% experience anxiety
- Social media users
- 3% experience depression
- 16% experience anxiety
- Non-social media users
- Teens between 13 and 17 years old
- Non-social media users
- 4% experience depression
- 9% experience anxiety
- Social media users
- 14% experience depression
- 27% experience anxiety
- Non-social media users
- Parents
- Non-social media users
- 12% experience depression
- 25% experience anxiety
- Social media users
- 15% experience depression
- 30% experience anxiety
- Non-social media users
- Children between 8 and 12 years old
- Impact of user frequency on depression and anxiety rates
- Daily use among teens
- 90% worry in general
- 84% worry about the future
- 70% fear that something bad will happen to them
- 66% fear that something bad will happen to someone in their family
- Weekly use among teens
- 83% worry in general
- 62% worry about the future
- 56% fear that something bad will happen to them
- 59% fear that something bad will happen to someone in their family
- Daily use among teens
The frequency of social media use and the prevalence of depression and anxiety highlight its impact on mental health. Yet, what elements of social media are helping fuel anxiety, depression, and loneliness? Listed below are some of the features of social media and how they contribute to poor psychological well-being:
Fear of Missing Out (FOMO)
- Seeing what friends, family, and other people are doing can give you FOMO
- You feel like you are missing out on the fun they are having
- Left feeling like the people you know are living better lives than you
- Increases negative thoughts, feelings, and behaviors
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Low self-esteem
- Increase social media usage
- Feeling compelled to constantly check platforms
Appearance Changing Filters
- Filters allow you to alter your appearance and hide physical features that you do not like
- Can create false illusions that impact the way you feel about yourself
- Constant exposure to altered images can lead to
- Insecurity about your appearance
- Leaves you feeling dissatisfied with your body image
Lifestyle
- Social media often presents a highlight reel of life in which people only share the best moments of their lives
- Looking at other people’s “perfect” lives can increase dissatisfaction with your life
- Makes you feel insecure about what is going on in your life
- Increases feelings of envy, anxiety
- Decreases self-esteem
- Increases use of platforms
Sense of Self
- Constant self-representation like frequently taking and sharing selfies can harm mental health and your relationships
- Decrease self-esteem
- Increase self-absorption and self-centeredness
- Lead to narcissistic behavior
- Distance you from real connection with others
- Phubbing behaviors
- Unintentionally or purposefully ignoring loved ones by spending time on your phone instead of interacting
- Increases risk for or exacerbates mental health challenges
- Phubbing behaviors
Social Media Addiction
- Using social media can activate the reward centers of the brain through the release of dopamine
- Getting likes and upvotes on the things you post
- A boost of dopamine from social media can feel good and thus addicting as you want to keep feeling this way
- Harms your sense of self and adequacy
- Feeling compelled to constantly check social media
- You compulsively respond to every alert at the expense of your well-being and other areas of your life
- Ignoring real-world friends
- Distracted driving
- Poor sleeping habits
- A boost of dopamine from social media can feel good and thus addicting as you want to keep feeling this way
- Getting likes and upvotes on the things you post
Cyberbullying
- Online harassment is unfortunately a common experience for people
- Intentional and repeated harassment, mistreatment, and bullying can have a significant impact on mental health
- Decrease self-esteem and sense of self-worth
- Increases risk for depression and anxiety
- Intentional and repeated harassment, mistreatment, and bullying can have a significant impact on mental health
Isolation and Loneliness
- Spending an excessive amount of time online can make you feel lonely and isolated from others
- A lack of in-person social interactions can make online connections feel hollow
- Low or nonexistent interpersonal relationships in-person or online
- Unable to turn interactions online into real close relationships
- Exposure to unrealistic and distorted representations of connections
- Makes you feel like you do not truly belong
- You do not feel truly engaged with others
- This can lead you to devalue your close relationships
- Makes you feel isolated and alone even when you have social relationships
- It can make you feel less satisfied with your relationships
- Your relationships do not feel as fulfilling as the ones you see online
News Content
- The prevalence of the 24-hour news cycle available online often highlights the most negative and dramatic news stories happening around the world
- This can lead to media saturation overload and doomscrolling
- Can contribute to high rates of stress
- Increase depression, anxiety, and PTSD symptoms
- Greater feelings of fear and overwhelm
- This can lead to media saturation overload and doomscrolling
Further, exposure to experiences that decrease self-esteem and other areas of well-being can lead to other mental health challenges. For example, low self-esteem can lead to depression, eating disorders, and substance use disorder (SUD). In addition, excessive social media use can put those with mental health disorders at a greater risk for harm. According to the Journal of Technology in Behavioral Science, people with mental illness lack access to adequate mental health services. Thus, many people look to social media as a resource to address the shortcomings of the mental health care system. People turn to social media to:
- Share personal experiences
- Seek information about their mental health
- Find treatment options
- Give and receive support from others facing similar mental health challenges
However, the stressors found in social media like exposure to bullying and social isolation can also contribute to poor well-being. Therefore, the way individuals with mental health disorders engage online showcases social media as a source of harm and wellness.
The Value of Social Media for Healing Trauma
As noted by Cureus, social networking plays a crucial role in protecting mental health. Both the quantity and quality of your social relationships impact your mental health, health behavior, physical health, and risk for mortality. Thus, social media has a deep connection to mental health as a source of social networking. On one hand, prolonged use of social media use can contribute to depression, anxiety, stress, and pressure to engage in stereotypes to fit the mold for popularity.
However, social media can also be a source of mental well-being. For example, individuals with mental health disorders are more likely to experience social isolation, thus social media can be a source of meaningful connection for those who often feel isolated from the rest of society. Listed below are some of the benefits of social media for individuals with mental health disorders:
- Facilitating social interactions
- Interacting online can be easier for individuals with impaired social functioning
- Online conversations do not require immediate responses or non-verbal cues
- Anonymity can help individuals with stigmatizing conditions like schizophrenia connect with others
- Greater community and civic engagement for individuals with mental health disorders
- Interacting online can be easier for individuals with impaired social functioning
- Providing access to a peer support network
- A support network can share experiences and help each other seek information, discuss symptoms and medication, and learn to cope
- Supports the establishment of new relationships, reconnecting with others, and feeling less alone
- Promoting engagement and retention in services
- Supports social connectedness and empowerment during recovery
- Helps individuals with mental disorders connect with care providers and access evidence-based services
- Features of social media can enhance social functioning
- Social media can support caregivers of those with mental disorders
Further, some of the ways social media can benefit the well-being of those with and without a diagnosed mental health disorder include:
- Support connecting marginalized and or stigmatized groups with shared identities and interests
- Provide access to resources
- Recovery and educational resources like crisis hotlines
- Promote resiliency by creating a sense of belonging and community
- Decrease stigmatization through information and interaction with different groups of people
Yet, how can you engage in the benefits of social media while minimizing your risk for negative mental health outcomes?
Ways to Build Health Online Social Habits
According to the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, social media literacy is an integral part of mental health for critical thinking, along with cognitive, socio-emotional, technical competences. Thus, social media literacy focuses on the efficiency and efficacy of Internet communication that benefits social relations. Moreover, social media literacy also works to prevent the risk of mental and physical health problems, as well as other types of issues that can arise from interactions like cyberbullying and misinformation. Therefore, building healthy social media habits can be invaluable to mental well-being. Listed below are some ways you can engage in healthy social media habits:
- Build tools to help you cut back on social media
- Track how much time you spend on social media
- Limit how much time you spend on social media each day and or week
- Eliminate how many social media platforms you use
- Turn off social media notifications
- Set times during the day and or week when you will unplug from social media
- Designate no-device areas/times like bedtime, dinner, and the bathroom
- Avoid doomscrolling by recognizing and taking note of how you feel when you are scrolling
- Stay present and connected with loved ones and your interest in real-life
- Seek out positive and motivational content
- Choose kindness when you interact with others on social media
- Be analytical and selective about what information you consume and share
- Use critical thinking skills to verify the source, content, and credibility of the information you are viewing and sharing
Incorporating social media literacy into your treatment plan can be an excellent coping tool to support long-term recovery.
Empowering Well-Being With Media Literacy at The Guest House
At The Guest House, we believe in providing long-term solutions to support your successful management of your condition or symptoms. Thus, engaging in social media literacy can be an invaluable tool to help you manage the stressors of daily life. Moreover, social media can be an incredible source for building meaningful connections to support recovery. With advances in technology it is almost impossible to avoid contact with social media in some way.
However, with support, you can learn how to navigate the challenges while fully utilizing the positives of social media. Practicing healthy social media habits is yet another tool in your toolbox to support your mental well-being. Therefore, we are committed to providing a wide range of therapeutic modalities to help you build the recovery plan that empowers you to lead a fulfilling life in recovery.
Exposure to traumatic news stories, perfection-driven images of bodies and lives, and cyberbullying to name a few highlight the harm social media can have on mental well-being. In particular, frequent and prolonged use of social media can increase your risk of depression, anxiety, isolation, and loneliness. However, social media can also have a positive impact on mental health as a source of connection and resource for mental health care, especially for marginalized communities and groups with stigmatized mental health challenges. Therefore, at The Guest House, we are committed to providing a holistic approach that supports building healthy social media habits through social media literacy for long-term well-being and recovery. Call us at (855) 483-7800 to learn more today.