By Lena Turcios
Have you ever wondered why you tend to feel worse after delving into a hole of instagram posts? this article discusses the mental and physical issues that social media can cause. Many people in the world are using social media for more and more things, but learning about the consequences of social media is also important.
According to “Social Media and Mental Health” by Lawerence Robinson and Melinda Smith on HelpGuide.org, social media can be very detrimental,it can create new or amplified feelings of anxiety, depression, isolation, FOMO, and can cause you to compare yourself to others or their life. Using social medias, such as Instagram, activates your reward center by releasing dopamine, a “feel good” chemical that is linked to pleasurable activities. This can make your phone become more and more addictive the more you use it.
Being able to text anyone or search anything up at the click of a button is a powerful tool to have. Social media can be a great way to communicate conveniently, but there are costs. Having such easy access to the internet can make it easily addictive and you will find yourself scrolling for hours on end to find something entertaining to look at, even when you don’t want to, solely using it for a distraction. It becomes a vicious cycle and it’s good to be aware of how you feel when engaging in social media. Ask yourself questions. Does it make you feel worse about yourself after using it often? If you notice that it does worsen your mental health then it’s a good idea to try and wean yourself off slowly and use it less.
According to the National Institutes of Health, the risk of depression increases by 13% for each hour increase in social media use in adolescents. Some people may not even realize that their mental illness can be worsened a lot from using social media, especially when you are constantly opening Instagram. Social media is designed for the very reason of keeping your attention by keeping your interest so that it becomes an addiction. This issue does not only affect teens. According to Cross River Therapy, 47% of Americans are addicted to their phones.
From my own experience I feel that when I was more depressed I would turn towards my phone more often, using it as a distraction from my feelings. Finally, my advice would be to be aware of how often you are on your phone before it becomes too toxic.
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