A life beyond networks-Impact of Social Media on Mental Health-Sudhanshi Yadav 12A

Social media has become an all encompassing aspect of life, especially for adolescents. It has shaped their attention, figured its way in their conversations and has left an impression on their minds.

With the rise of internet usage, social media has emerged as a popular avenue for interaction but its impacts have been dualistic. While social media has done a remarkable job in bringing different people,ideas and cultures closer,

There is a rising incidence of anxiety, depression, self esteem issues, body dysmorphia and social isolation. Further, crimes like cyber bullying and image morphing have created another set of grave problems.

High social media usage has emerged as associated with higher anxiety levels. Experts believe that depiction of artificial life leads to a sense of distortion amongst the minds of youth. Studies show that greater social media use among 14-year-olds predicted poor sleep and negative body image, with the impact often being larger for girls. Further, it fosters within them a negative feeling of comparison and inferiority that can lead to lower self esteem. This also fosters a rising sense of exclusion and inadequacy, for example comparison of a normal daily life to a curated highlighted version of others often fuels a negative spiral regarding one's own life.

Although social media was designed for the avenue of increased connections, its excessive usage has also led to detraction of people from the real world, causing a deep sense of isolation. For example, people engage more with artificial connections rather than real ones. This even fuels the lack of social intelligence.

Social media's negative effects can be curbed by a mindful approach. Setting timed limits to apps like Instagram can prevent the shortening of attention span and desensitization of mind. Further engagement with fruitful content and using social media to foster deeper and sensible connections can only allow it to become a better force of habit. Educating youth regarding better and safer usage of technology can also promote a healthy social media interaction.

As social media and its presence is becoming more entrenched, it is essential that its impact on mental and physical health is gauged properly.