Social media Myths

Social media usage amongst young people have been on the rise, and the pandemic has only heightened this usage. According to an Experian Simmons study, 98% of college students use social media. Many young people spend hours a day staring at a phone or computer screen scrolling through social media. Over use of social media by young people has many negatives such as distortion of body image, distortion of reality, and the consumption of valuable time.

Young people spend hours scrolling through social media taking in photos of “perfect people” who have used filters, have gotten plastic surgery, or spend thousands of dollars on fitness trainers and dieticians in order to look the way they look. Young people begin to think these social media influencers have this “ideal body type” naturally and that they themselves should look like these influencers. Prolonged exposure to this kind of media can create body dysmorphia and negative body image. This kind of thinking can lead to even more intense mental health issues such as eating disorders.

Long use of social media can also over time distort reality. If a social media influencer is promoting a mental health day that consists of binging netflix, wearing a facemask, and snacking on unhealthy food, young people may begin to think that this is an ideal way of coping with mental health issues and will be confused and upset when this method doesn’t work for them.

Another major negative to overuse of social media is the consumption of valuable time. Many young people waste their day away spending countless hours on social media instead of using their time for school work, exercising, hanging out with friends or family, or engaging in hobbies.

To many people these drawbacks of social media are clear, what is sometimes not clear is how to break the habit of spending so much time on social media. Taking actionable steps towards limiting one’s time on social media can drastically improve some people’s mental health. A great first step is to set a limit on how much time a day you spend on social media. There are many apps you can download that help manage time spent on apps such as Offtime, BreakFree, Flipd, Stay on Task, and AppDetox. It could be best to start small at first. Say for example you average 8 hours of phone usage a day. On the first day try cutting your usage down to 7 ½ hours, then the next day 7 hours. Work in small increments such as this over time instead of trying to cut social media out altogether and giving up after a few days.

Setting goals and rewarding yourself for attaining them is another great way to approach limiting your social media time. Work on setting both small and large goals and giving yourself small and large goals. For example, for a small goal challenge yourself to limit your social media time to under 3 hours every day for a week. If you reach your goal treat yourself to something small like a tasty treat or a night out with friends. Then challenge yourself to keep this streak going for a month. If you reach that goal treat yourself to something bigger such as a trip to the mall or a new videogame. Take small steps and set goals to create a habit where your social media usage is at a manageable level. Spend this new found time doing school work, hanging out with friends or family, or creating or engaging in new hobbies. Limiting social media is by no means a cure for anxiety or depression, but it is a good first step to feeling better and breaking bad habits.