The use of social media sites has increased rapidly over the past decade.  These platforms continue to expand and become more prominent in society.  Various studies have found a strong connection between social media use and an increased risk of depression, anxiety, loneliness, and even suicidal thoughts. Negative effects that many users face include:

 

Depression/ Anxiety

• People need in-person contact to be mentally healthy. However, many prioritize social media interaction over in-person relationships, which increases the risk of developing certain mental disorders.  A study published by the Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology concludes that " if you use less social media, you are actually less depressed and less lonely, meaning that the decreased social media use is what causes that qualitative shift in your well-being". 

Inadequacy about one's life

• Most images on social media are manipulated.  It is easy to feel insecure about the events going on in your life when you are constantly scrolling through images of peoples' vacations, parties, or other exciting events.

Poor body image/self-esteem

• Continuous exposure to upward comparisons on social media sites results in a negative impact on people's body image and self-esteem.  Many images are also photoshopped, causing social media users to aim for unrealistic and unhealthy beauty standards.

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