How Social Media Hurts Mental Health

HOW SOCIAL MEDIA IS AFFECTING OUR MENTAL HEALTH The hyperconnectivity of the mobile age and the ubiquity of social media means that we're all literally in each other's pockets all day long. But how does always being "on" affect our mental health? Is social media friend or foe? THE STRESS OF SOCIAL MEDIA Of respondents in a 2012 study by the University of Salford said social media had changed their behavior negatively. Of people in the same study claimed to have difficulty relaxing or sleeping after spending time on social networks. 51% 66% Of respondents in the study said they had experienced work or relationship difficulties due to online Said that they they feel worried or uncomfortable when they can't access Facebook or email. 25% 50% confrontations. A University of Michigan study found that subjects felt sadder after going on Facebook, and that over time, they felt unhappier with their lives in general. SOCIAL MEDIA AND MENTAL FRAGILITY While there's very little evidence that social media is harmful in and of itself, the most serious danger comes in the intersection between social media platforms and people suffering from a mental illness. It's really a numbers game. 43.7 MILLION 17.2 MILLION Adults Children SUFFER FROM A MENTAL DISORDER f t 1.3 BILLION 300 MILLION 284 MILLION 284 MILLION INSTAGRAM USERS TUMBLER USERS FACEBOOK TWITTER USERS USERS With that many vulnerable people online, the anonymous nature of social media and issues of cyberbullying and online harassment can have tragic consequences. INTERNET ADDICTION While social media addiction has not been specifically studied, the proliferation of social networks and smart mobile devices mean that social media use is often a component of internet addiction. It's always there, always on, and even non-addicted people can often struggle to keep from compulsively checking alerts. The symptoms of true Internet Addiction Disorder (IAD) are similar to those of chemical dependency: 1. A constantly increasing need to engage with the object of the addiction 2. Strong negative feelings when unable to access the object of the addiction 3. "Repetitive, compulsive and uncontrolled use" which interferes with relationships, social occasions, school or work. Neurologically, internet use activates the reward system of the brain, inducing a kick of the feel-good chemical dopamine whenever we check a notification or click A recent brain study looked at subjects diagnosed with IAD and found evidence of changes in the white matter which matched brain scans of people addicted to alcohol, cocaine, heroin, and other substances. a new link. Studies in the US and Europe suggest that the prevalence of internet addiction may be as high as 8.2% in the general population, and 18.5% in certain at-risk demographics. A University of Hong Kong study estimates that 460 million people (6% of the population) may be suffering from IAD. 460 MILLION IAD SUFFERERS 6% 8% 64% 27% Say they use the internet to escape from their problems. Admit to using Facebook even in the Think that their relation- ships have suffered be- cause of their internet Say that they feel they may be addicted to the internet. bathroom. usage. SOCIAL MEDIA AS MEDICINE? It's not all bad news. Many studies have found that healthy social media use can actually improve our lives and mental health. It aids feelings of connection, especially across distance. A study by Fenne Deters and Matthias Mehl (2012) randomly assigned some participants to post more frequently than usual. These users reported increased feelings of social connectedness, and lower levels of loneliness. Another study from the University of California in San Diego found that happy status updates are more contagious than unhappy ones. Research presented at the American Psychological Association found that introverted adolescents can actually gain Studies have also found that social media sites provide important support to people with low emotional well being. social skills by using social media. THE SOCIAL MEDIA MIND READERS New research suggests that it may be possible to predict an individual's mental health just by analyzing their social media use. Researchers at Stanford and Cambridge wrote a computer program that can identify an individual's personality traits (such as openness, neuroticism, extraversion, and conscientiousness) more accurately than humans, if it had enough likes to work with. 70 | 150|| 300|| LIKES LIKES LIKES It is more accurate than friends. It is more accurate than family. It is more accurate than spouses. The program's judgements even had "higher external validity when predicting life outcomes such as substance use, political attitudes, and physical health." In the future, programs like this may be extremely useful in the diagnosis and treatment of mental health issues. CYBERBULLYING According to the National Crime Victimization Survey, 2.2 million students dealt with cyberbullying in 2011. 9% of students reported being cyber-bullied in the National Crime Victimization Survey compared to 6.2% in 2009 O 3.1% cyber-bullied almost everyday O 5.3% cyber-bullied once or twice a week O 19.6% cyber-bullied once or twice a month O 71.9% cyber-bullied once or twice a year Experts agree that it's hard to make sweeping statements about a phenomena as huge and sprawling as social media, with millions of moving parts, variables, and relationships. Every individual will have a unique experience, so generalizations are of little use. However, all seem to agree that moderation and balance are key. 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