Ever use social media and find yourself scrolling for longer than you anticipated, only to feel bad about it? Ever spent time on your social media app and suddenly feel anxious, overstimulated, overwhelmed, or even depressed for no reason? Something just doesn’t feel quite right, and you can’t put your finger on it? This is why social media is so invasive; from providing us with the latest news and information or an outlet to share our news and feelings, everyone uses social media to stay connected. While an excellent way to stay connected, using social media can negatively impact your mental health without you even realizing it. From unnecessary anxiety to distracted attention spans and interrupted sleep, the social media influence creeps up on you when you least expect it.
This article will discuss how social media can harm your mental health without you even realizing it. From overstimulation to false identity, you’ll see why social media isn’t all it’s cracked up to be and why you should take control of your mind instead of letting social media mind overtake you. This isn’t an intention to convince you to delete your account; this is merely an intention to inform you of what happens behind the curtain so you can use the information to work for you. Let’s take a look at how your mind is impacted by that little app on your phone.
The Never Ending Scroll and Limited Attention Spans
Ever get on social media and open the app only to scroll for longer than expected? You tell yourself you’ll be on for five minutes, yet an hour goes by before you know it. This isn’t your fault; it’s on purpose.
This causes a loss of focus. You won’t be able to focus later because you’ve been scrolling for hours, immersed in bite-sized information. Why would anyone want to read an entire book when they can read a fifteen-second TikTok? Good luck focusing after opening your social media this morning. It’s virtually impossible once you’re used to so much stimulation and information being provided in the blink of an eye.
This makes people uncomfortable. People feel fatigued when distracted. They don’t acknowledge what’s distracting them. It feels so commonplace to be checking your phone again in ten minutes that it’s easy to forget what distracted you from the present, especially at work. But not only are you distracted, but now you’re also fatigued from all your distracted attempts at reengagement.
The Comparison Trap and Your Self-Esteem
Why isn’t my life as visually appealing as that post? Why don’t I have anything worth sharing? And it’s not even reality posts. Friends and influencers get thousands of likes and hearts, and you think, Who the hell am I? Am I such a nobody that no one recognizes me? Am I not worthy of the same kind of things that I am attempting to share with them?
But we know that no one shares their off days—everyone posts what they want people to see, which often is a highly doctored, cropped image of the life someone is leading. Everyone has an off day, a bad hairdo, a messy breakup—they just don’t show it. But in being bombarded with such positivity, whether or not we want it, we succumb to the comparative challenge, and over time, it loses our self-esteem as we’re sucked into a never-ending vortex of insecurity that makes us feel like failures for being alive when everyone else is doing so well.
The Pressure to Be “On” All the Time
It creates an environment where it seems like you’re always being watched. You’re not living your life—you live it for everyone else—and that’s exhausting. It means that you’re constantly and consistently aware of how things look instead of merely existing and enjoying the moment. Access to social media and a need to remain connected to platforms generate a specific anxiety that suggests you’re never doing enough, or posting anything you haven’t already seen from everyone else.
But posting on social media isn’t the worst aspect; it’s the fear of missing out—FOMO—that causes anxiety as you witness others enjoying life while you sit on your sofa. At the same time, you feel as if you’re missing out—even if what you see if what you’re trying to avoid. That mere feeling complicates everything, making it more challenging to enjoy what’s going on.
How Social Media Affects Your Sleep
You’re also scrolling through your phone until the time you fall asleep—and first thing in the morning when you wake up. If this sounds familiar to you, social media negatively impacts your sleep cycle, which then impacts mental health more than you realize. For starters, the blue light from your phone deceives your brain into thinking it’s time to be awake and not going to sleep.
When you don’t sleep, you feel tired all the time, cranky, anxious, and possibly depressed. It’s hard to manage day-to-day stresses when you’re hung over from the little sleep you got the night before; it’s hard to think when your brain is dull from exhaustion. Ever notice how more things on social media annoy you when you’re tired? Or how easily you scream at your family when they wake you up early for something after you’ve napped? While social media offers the potential to annoy you late at night—when you mindlessly scroll for hours—even if it’s not the reason you find yourself awake at two in the morning, it’s still the offender during waking hours that can exacerbate your sleep deprivation.
Even if you’re not scrolling at all hours, the second you get out of bed, you pick up your phone to check your notifications tab. While this isn’t true cause and effect for why you couldn’t sleep, it certainly is a negative way to start your day. Instead of waking up gently and finding a way to become mindful before entering today’s bustling stressors, people wake up to a barrage of information, opinions, and overwhelming notifications before they’ve even had breakfast.
The Highs and Lows of Notifications
Getting a like or message can send us on a natural high; social media acts as a feedback loop in real time. Everyone appreciates receiving attention on something they’ve posted, and we appreciate texting someone back as much as we appreciate getting a text. Yet the system can run us ragged, stressing us with unfulfilled expectations. Why hasn’t someone liked my post yet? When are they going to answer? We’re excited to get hundreds of likes from one post, yet we’re disappointed if many people overlook authentic engagement in another.
This emotional rollercoaster is exhausting. People don’t realize how emotionally taxing it can be. If we’re constantly checking our phones to see how many likes we have or how many people have viewed our stories, we’re reliant upon others for their opinions of us. This isn’t Generation Like but generation dependent—and reality shouldn’t depend on people being or finding happiness.
It’s not about the comments either. The ability to receive nasty remarks or pointless flame wars is infuriating. Even if you hear someone say they’re not affected by it, if it brings them down a peg, these occurrences fester in the back of one’s mind and affect mental health long after one has scrolled past.
The Illusion of Connection
But isn’t that what social media is all about? “You can connect with friends, you can message family, you can meet people online. Sometimes, I feel connected to everyone yet to no one.” Have you ever spoken to someone online for hours and still feel lonely? That’s because social media offers a faux sense of connectedness that cannot replace hierarchical relationships.
For example, posting on someone’s Facebook wall for their birthday or messaging someone is not the same as celebrating someone’s birthday or having that face-to-face conversation. While people may feel compelled to support someone by reaching out because of their last post, they’re not addressing the issue at hand from the dialogue that matters. Therefore, in the big scheme of things, social media becomes isolating—even for those who participate regularly—because they’re not making connections. People connect when they laugh together, have a conversation, or even sit in the same room in silence—it builds therapeutic rapport. A social media feed is no substitute for that—regardless of hundreds of followers.
Therefore, this makes it harder to struggle quietly because people assume everyone else is having a great time based on their feeds. For some, acknowledging they need help is a step too far to ask for help. Either way, neither choice is good for mental health.
Tips to Protect Your Mental Health
Now that you’ve read how social media can negatively affect your mental health, it’s time to determine what you can do about it. The good news is that you do not have to cut out social media completely to foster mental health. Rather, it’s about taking control and using it to your advantage. Here are a few mental health hacks that will make your life easier:
Limit access. Decide how much time you want to spend on social media and stick with it—morning, nighttime, or both! If you want to spend 30 minutes in the morning and 30 minutes at night, go for it! You can use apps and built-in screen time reminders on iPhones and some Androids to ensure how much time you are on social. This not only saves you from getting sucked into excessive scrolling, but it also gives you more time in the day for other interests, hobbies, or real life socialization.
Curate a healthy feed. If anyone makes you feel bad about yourself—an influencer who seems to have a “perfect” life, that friend who always is bragging about their new car—unfollow them. It’s not personal; it’s for your mental health. Instead, follow those who make you laugh, motivate you, or provide hacks that could help your daily life.
Don’t go on social media before bed. Avoid using social media at least an hour before bed. Instead, find a screen-free activity that helps you settle down. This not only fosters better sleep, but it also increases your chances of falling asleep easier.
Another method for achieving this is to unplug. Consider a social media blackout day or a day or weekend here and there. Spend time doing what you love—walking, cooking, spending time with loved ones—and you’ll emerge feeling surprisingly refreshed.
Finally, invest in face-to-face interaction. Make an effort to meet up with friends and family—even for a quick cup of coffee—because those experiences surpass a hundred likes on the best-curated post. Should it all become overwhelming, remember it’s okay to step back and know you’re justified in doing so. Mental health before anything else.
Conclusion
There’s no denying social media is a powerful tool through which people can express ideas, projects, and creations, as well as learn from others and connect with people around the globe. Yet with distraction capabilities that compare and keep people on 24/7, it’s no wonder social media fosters poor mental health and negatively impacts feelings of anxiety, self-worth, or disconnection from reality. The good news? You can change your interaction with it.
Boundaries are critical. The selection of what and who to follow helps; deliberately incorporating non-digital opportunities into your life does. It’s about balance. Ask yourself: Am I in control of social media, or is social media in control of me? Take note of the little things that may help protect your mental health. It will empower you to feel more in control of both your time and emotional well-being.
So, next time you’re about to open that app, pause for a second. Think about what you really want from that moment. Maybe it’s a quick laugh or a chance to connect with a friend. Or maybe you’d rather put the phone down and enjoy the world around you. Your mental health is worth it.