Excessive social media use detrimental to mental health
It is an open fact across the globe that social media has taken control of our lives. There are indeed positive features about the advent of social media like online learning, business but there are down sights to it which affects mental health. A lot of studies have found out that high social media use often result in poor mental health which may include the following; LOW SELF ESTEEM Social media use has resulted in some of the users having doubt about their capabilities when they see others’ profiles on social media. This puts unnecessary burden on individuals which may result in some of them going to shops solely for fitting on designer clothes then uploading photos on social media to be at par with those they envy. This has been affirmed by a 2015 study which found out that “regularly using facebook could lead to symptoms of depression if the user envies others.” POOR INTERPERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS There are growing incidents of family members not interacting during gatherings as they are busy in social media sites. This makes it difficult to communicate and share family moments. Suicide cases and depression have been an end result because channels where one can share their feelings have been dented. DISTRACTIBLE ATTENTION SPAN Excessive involvement in social media platforms has resulted in some individuals being inattentive as they are solely focused on social media sites. This promotes recklessness and poor judgement to the extent of some people causing car accidents! SLEEP PROBLEMS With social media use there is a fair share of disturbance in sleep patterns most commonly insomnia. Some users are so engrossed in use that they barely have time to sleep. The problem is further compounded by the fact that our mobile service providers have reduced internet rates during the night. It’s time we pay particular attention to the use of social media and try to forge tangible personal relationships with each other. We need to use social media cautiously and have proper sleeping time of at least 8 hours. Companies should enact social media policies to counter this growing epidemic!