Did you know that Instagram is rated as the worst social media platform when it comes to its impact on young people’s mental health? According to a UK report conducted by the Royal Society of Public Health, they found that amongst all social media platforms surveyed Instagram came out on top for creating personal issues such as anxiety, depression, loneliness, bullying and body image.
How many of us are guilty of laying on our beds and staring at our phone and mindlessly scrolling through Instagram, tapping through snap chat stories and refreshing our Twitter feed and then all of a sudden it’s two hours later and you’re sat wondering where the time has gone, Its happened to the best of us.
Research suggests that people who are heavy users of social media are more likely to report poor mental health, including psychological distress. Studies have also found that females spend far more time using social media than males, and that they are much more likely to display signs of depression which is linked to their interactions on the social platforms such as Instagram, WhatsApp and Facebook.
These studies, reports and surveys are alarming with many reports asking for a call to action, some reports are demanding that certain social media platforms should highlight when photos of people have been digitally manipulated. This is key in keeping things transparent, as simply knowing if a picture has been edited could offer some much need emotional relief.
We are not saying to boycott all social media, but here are some helpful tips that could help you enjoy your social media experience even more. You’ve probably heard many of these suggestions before however, let’s make can actual note to act on at least one these key tips.
Try unfollowing the pages that make you feel bad about yourself
We know no one intentionally follows brands or pages that makes them feel bad but try looking out for the pages that make you feel like you’re lacking something.
Try replacing few of the feeds or people you’re currently following for a more suitable options
For example, is your phone album full of all the “body goals” screenshots? Try swapping them for actual gym/ exercise pages. The tip is to focus on the process of getting the finished goal rather than making yourself feel down that you haven’t reached your goal yet.
Monitor your screen time
This is made a lot easier with the Apple screen time feature which is designed to provide you with information on how you’re using your time on your iPhone and iPad. With screen time, you can see how often you pick up your phone and which apps you’re using most.
There is no escaping social media
Everywhere we look there’s anew app or an upgrade to a current app, so for now the responsibilities lays within ourselves to get ahead this issue before the issue gets ahead of us and remember social media should be fun and self-care doesn’t work unless you do.
