Is it true that using social apps can have a negative impact on your mental health?
“The bottom line is, yes, social media can have a negative impact on our mental health,” Holzbauer says. “Younger generations have grown up with social media and the ability to watch anything anytime, anywhere. Our ability to endure the pain of waiting is impaired because you can Google the answer to almost any question. No more waiting to find out who the actor who played Ron Burgundy in Anchorman is or where your nearest library is.”
In many ways, social media breaks down barriers between users and audiences, and the impact is far-reaching. “We may act impulsively and post something on social media that may reflect our feelings and thoughts in the moment, but may not be true a day later.” Holzbauer says. “When we return to our more sober selves, we may feel embarrassed, ashamed, or regretful for posting something impulsively.”
We also know that content can be filtered, edited, and manipulated before it’s posted, resulting in unattainable standards being broadcast to the world for all to see. . Users are obsessed with instant gratification and, in some cases, judge their self-worth and image based on the number of images and likes they receive on their posts.
“The information that teens put out is one factor, but the other factor is the information that they’re taking in,” Holzbauer said. “Social media has given us access to images, people, and ideas that we wouldn’t otherwise have access to. While this is a very positive thing, we are also aware that it can also have negative consequences. I know.”
A recent Facebook study found that Instagram is having a negative impact on some of its millions of young users, especially teenage girls. The findings showed that Instagram exacerbated body image issues for one in three teenage girls. Additionally, among teens in the United States who reported suicidal thoughts, 6 percent traced their thoughts back to Instagram.