Does Social Media Affect Mental Health?

Every day, there are more than 4.5 billion social media users, each spending an average of 2 hours and 24 minutes on the sites (Rao & Kalyani, 2022). The rise of social media sites over the last 20 years has changed how people interact with each other. Social networks like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok are a significant part of users’ daily lives (Kross et al., 2021). However, there is growing concern about the impact of social media on its users, especially when it comes to mental health. People who use social media are more likely to be bullied, have unrealistic ideas of what is beautiful, constantly compare themselves to others, become addicted to likes and acceptance, have trouble sleeping, and have fewer face-to-face social interactions, which is detrimental to mental health.

Social media promotes cyberbullying, which is one of the ways it negatively impacts mental health. It provides anonymity for malicious users to threaten and insult other people (Lelisho et al., 2023). Examples of these practices include spreading false rumors, giving out private information without permission, sending threatening texts, and leaving abusive comments. According to Rao & Kalyani (2022), 37% of 12- to 17-year-olds have been cyberbullied at least once. The harassment happens on popular platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, and Snapchat.

As a result of social media use, cyberbullying worsens mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem. Harassment online can make a user feel helpless and alone, which is a challenge for mental health. According to Kross et al. (2021), children who are cyberbullied are more than twice as likely to show signs of depression and anxiety as their friends who were not bullied. Additionally, social media is extremely popular in modern society, which makes it hard for people who are being bullied to get away from them (Rao & Kalyani, 2022). It keeps victims stuck in a cycle of fear and sadness that harms their mental health in the long run.

Social media negatively impacts users’ mental health by spreading unrealistic ideas about what beauty is. There is an increasing presence of heavily edited and perfected pictures of users on social media sites, which sets standards that are hard to meet. These images include filtered photos of “perfect” bodies and faces that users see (Lelisho et al., 2023). Regular exposure to this content changes how other users feel about their bodies, especially young people, who are highly impressionable. According to Shensa et al. (2021), teens who spend time on social media are more likely to be unhappy with their bodies and experience eating disorders like anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorder. Additionally, exposure to unrealistic beauty standards can cause body dysmorphia, a mental illness in which someone constantly obsesses over flaws in the way they look (Kross et al., 2021). By making people feel like they have to meet these standards, social media creates a twisted sense of self-worth.

Constant comparison on social media worsens mental health problems by changing users’ perceptions of their own worth. Users often decide how valuable they are by looking at how they stack up against other people. It is worse on social media, where people mostly share positive elements of their lives (Rao & Kalyani, 2022). Seeing carefully curated posts and highlight reels can make users question their own skills when they feel like they don't live as well and are as happy as their friends. The mental health challenges perpetuate an unhealthy cycle of wanting praise and feeling inadequate.

Users become addicted to likes and approval on social media sites, which is detrimental to their mental health. They depend on likes, comments, and shares on their social media posts to feel accepted and important. Some users base their sense of self-worth on the level of engagement they have, which has a significant impact on their morale (Ostic et al., 2021). Research has shown that social media validation works in the brain in a way that is similar to how drugs function. For example, neuroimaging (fMRI) studies have shown that getting likes on social media activates the brain's reward centers, which makes people want more likes (Shensa et al., 2021). It leads to an addiction, as users are always looking for engagement to feel better about themselves. As a result, it increases anxiety when posts do not get as much attention as users want. Having to keep up a certain image or character online can also be a source of stress.

Since mental health is influenced by sleep, disrupted sleeping patterns caused by extended social media use have an adverse effect. People who use social media at night experience changes in the time they normally sleep and wake up. Additionally, screens give off blue light that can stop the body from making melatonin, a hormone that helps people sleep. According to Shensa et al. (2021), people who spent an hour on social media before bed slept worse, woke up more often, and took longer to fall asleep. Poor sleeping patterns not only make users tired but also make it hard to think clearly, concentrate, keep their emotions in check, and worsen anxiety and depression.

Finally, poor mental health as a result of social media use is worsened by the fact that there is limited interpersonal interactions. Social media has changed the way people talk to each other; they use online channels instead of talking to each other in person. It makes it harder to meet up in person, which harms relationships and social skills. Additionally, chronic social media use makes it harder for users to learn how to talk clearly, understand others, and read body language, all of which are important for having good relationships (Rao & Kalyani, 2022). Research has found that spending time on social media can make some individuals feel lonely. According to Kross et al. (2021), young people who used social media more often were more likely to say they felt alone and disconnected from their real-life relationships. Additionally, talking to people online does not provide the same emotional support and bond as talking to them in person, which can eventually lead to poor mental health (Shensa et al., 2021). Getting people to engage and build real relationships more often can help lessen these negative effects.

Advocates of social media use argue that the positive effects on society and support networks outweigh the negative effects on mental health. On social media sites, they argue that people can find support networks and connect with people who share similar interests (Ostic et al., 2021). These sites are especially helpful for people from marginalized groups and for people who are having mental health issues. People might not feel like they connect and understand each other as much in real life as they do in online groups. They believe the negative effects of making groups on social networks stand out more than the benefits. However, cyberbullying, comparison, and addictive behavior are all common on social media, which corrodes the place meant to provide support (Rao & Kalyani, 2022). These factors contribute to users feeling anxious, sad, and having low self-esteem. As a result, more people are harmed by social media than find comfort in online groups. Additionally, relationships that happen online do not always have the depth and connection of relationships that happen in real life, which is necessary for optimal mental health. Research has shown that talking to people in person is better for a person’s mental health than talking to them online (Shensa et al., 2021). Therefore, even though social media may have some positive effects, the negative effects cannot be ignored.

In conclusion, social media is detrimental to mental health because it makes people more open to cyberbullying, unrealistic beauty standards, constant comparison, approval addiction, sleep problems, and less face-to-face interactions. Although people can connect with each other on social media, the negative elements outweigh the potential benefits. People who use social media have to deal with the risk of anxiety, sadness, and poor general health. The issue holds negative implications for society, which requires people, policymakers, and stakeholders on social media sites themselves to work together to fix these issues. In their current digital lives, people should put mental health first by encouraging better social media habits, getting to know people in real life, and pushing for rules that protect users' health. In the long run, people should work to make social media better for mental health, which would make the internet a better environment for everyone.