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    Does Social Media Hurt Your Mental Health

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    Bobi
    Social media is defined as websites and applications that allow users to share content and connect with others. While social media allows for novel ways of communication, research has found links between heavy social media use and negative mental health impacts. Specifically, constant exposure to filtered, curated images on platforms can negatively impact self-esteem by creating unrealistic standards of beauty, success, and happiness. Additionally, the stimulating content found on social media makes it difficult to relax and fall asleep, negatively impacting sleep quality which is important for mental well-being. Studies show a clear correlation between heavy social media use and increased rates of mental health issues. The document recommends trying a "social media diet" to potentially address issues of addiction

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    Does Social Media Hurt Your Mental Health

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    Bobi
    175 views3 pages
    Social media is defined as websites and applications that allow users to share content and connect with others. While social media allows for novel ways of communication, research has found links between heavy social media use and negative mental health impacts. Specifically, constant exposure to filtered, curated images on platforms can negatively impact self-esteem by creating unrealistic standards of beauty, success, and happiness. Additionally, the stimulating content found on social media makes it difficult to relax and fall asleep, negatively impacting sleep quality which is important for mental well-being. Studies show a clear correlation between heavy social media use and increased rates of mental health issues. The document recommends trying a "social media diet" to potentially address issues of addiction

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    Social media is defined as websites and applications that allow users to share content and connect with others. While social media allows for novel ways of communication, research has found links between heavy social media use and negative mental health impacts. Specifically, constant exposure to filtered, curated images on platforms can negatively impact self-esteem by creating unrealistic standards of beauty, success, and happiness. Additionally, the stimulating content found on social media makes it difficult to relax and fall asleep, negatively impacting sleep quality which is important for mental well-being. Studies show a clear correlation between heavy social media use and increased rates of mental health issues. The document recommends trying a "social media diet" to potentially address issues of addiction

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    175 views3 pages

    Does Social Media Hurt Your Mental Health

    Uploaded by

    Bobi
    Social media is defined as websites and applications that allow users to share content and connect with others. While social media allows for novel ways of communication, research has found links between heavy social media use and negative mental health impacts. Specifically, constant exposure to filtered, curated images on platforms can negatively impact self-esteem by creating unrealistic standards of beauty, success, and happiness. Additionally, the stimulating content found on social media makes it difficult to relax and fall asleep, negatively impacting sleep quality which is important for mental well-being. Studies show a clear correlation between heavy social media use and increased rates of mental health issues. The document recommends trying a "social media diet" to potentially address issues of addiction

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    Does Social Media

    Hurt Your Mental


    Health?
    Material of Public Speaking Contest of English Expo 2019
    Does Social Media Hurt Your Mental Health?

    In recent years there have been an abundance of studies conducted by mental health
    professionals that focus on Facebook and social media use. Some of the highlights of that
    research are presented here to help us think about the question: Does social media hurt your
    mental health? Let me answer the question!

    Social media is defined as websites and applications that facilitate content creation and
    sharing among users through personal words and messages, images, video and audio. Social
    media permits users to connect to one another – to participate in a social network that
    includes friends, other connections, invites, updates, events, status updates, etc. Today,
    Facebook, Instagram WhatsApp and Twitter, the eponymous social networking sites, have
    created novel ways for users to communicate, but has this been a good thing?

    In terms of mental health, social media seems to be the cause and the cure. While many
    people share their story of mental health issue and treat themselves online, it appears to be
    also one of the major triggers.

    Social media is creating the image of a perfect world, in which everybody is productive,
    successful and all day long good looking. And even they admit, that the images that they
    present, are only a small bit of their realities, it makes this perfect wor ld only realer.

    I guess my biggest problem is me, I am the one who stresses me most. But is it just me?
    Is it just me who cannot distinguish beautiful pictures and real life? Many scientist and
    studies came to the conclusion that, no, it is definitive also the direct influence of social
    media and our permanent connection to the internet. We are checking our phones more than
    28 times a day, it is often the first thing we do in the morning and the last thing we look at
    before we sleep. Most people, including my self, are never turning their phones off. They are
    always there, always reachable, always helping to kill a second of silence.

    Self-esteem is a big issues, caused by social media. Constantly looking at filtered


    photos on Instagram, perfect profiles on Facebook and exiting vlogs on Youtube has an effect
    on the way, how we see ourselves. Researcher from Sweden called it the "Facebook Envy",
    it's the relativity of our self worth and our achievements compared to others. There is always
    someone, who is thinner, who is successful or happier. And yes, I am very reflective and try
    not to take social media that serious, but it still has undeniable effect on me: It creates a new
    way of normal. This life is normal, and everybody else is not trying hard enough to reach this.

    Since we stare at our screens all the time, our sleep is heavily effected: we use social
    media as way of relaxation and entertainment, thats why we watch a lot of Youtube or use
    Facebook at the end of the day. But this is actually not relaxing our brains: With all emotions
    social media awakes, our brains are highly alarmed and active while using it, so it makes it
    very hard to fall asleep or to dozz off. Also the light from the screens affects the quality of
    sleep: This very close light can prevent the production and release of melatonin, the hormone
    to sleep.

    There is a clear correlation between the heavy use of social media and mental health
    issues, and actually many people are already reducing their consumption of social media,
    some are even quitting their accounts. But of course, not everybody wants to take such drastic
    action, the use of social media has of course its advantages. But I would definitely
    recommend to try this social media diet, and if its hard for you to follow it, you might be
    addicted to it.

    Social media diet:

    a. Turn your phones off before you are going to sleep (at least put it on flight mode) and
    use it earliest at breakfast.
    b. Remove social media apps from your phone, you will see, it is less likely that you open
    the page on your browser than in my app.
    c. If you spend time with friends or family, turn your phone off and concentrate fully on
    them.
    d. Reflect on what you do on social media and why can you reduce your consumption?
    e. Try to stay with people in contact by other means: it is harder, but it gives you more
    satisfaction that the permanent, lose contact through social media!

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