Does excessive social media use lead to depression and anxiety?
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Studies have linked the use of social media to depression, anxiety, poorer sleep quality, lower self-esteem, inattention, and hyperactivity — often in teens and adolescents.
Studies show that girls who share more photos online and use photoshop to edit their pictures feel worse about their appearance and exhibit greater eating concerns, which can include restricting their intake, removing certain food groups, or overeating to cope with negative body image and low self esteem.
How does social media affect social anxiety?
A 2018 study suggests that social media use could result in a fear of missing out (FOMO). FOMO could in turn lead you to compare your experiences with others, sometimes creating a sense of inadequacy. This inadequacy may turn into social anxiety symptoms if you feel like you don’t “fit in” in certain social situations.
A survey conducted by the Royal Society for Public Health asked 14-24 year olds in the UK how social media platforms impacted their health and wellbeing. The survey results found that Snapchat, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram all led to increased feelings of depression, anxiety, poor body image and loneliness.
Browsing social media can lead to FoMO, and the feeling of being excluded can lead to negative feelings. Anxiety and depression are not the only mental health problems associated with social media use. Research on adolescents has found that body image, for girls and boys, is harmed by social media use.
How social media affects girls more than boys?
Basically, according to TIME, social media use more often leads to cyberbullying, lack of sleep, and lack of exercise in girls, and the mental health affects of those factors are more pronounced in girls than in boys.
The research does not prove social media causes depression. Indeed, it is possible that people already prone to feeling sad were more likely to log on to such sites. But it adds to evidence of a growing mental health crisis in the United States.
Using social media more often, though, increases FOMO and feelings of inadequacy, dissatisfaction, and isolation. In turn, these feelings negatively affect your mood and worsen symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress.