The more we use technology, the more we love it, but this relationship does not come without difficulties. Lately, half of the earth’s population got access to a smartphone and, with that, access to social media. Especially in teenagers and younger adults is affecting them directly. There is an increasing number of mental health disorders in these age ranges.
Social media is a great tool that, if we use it well, can bring us a lot of benefits like the following:
- We can have instant communication with Family and Friends.
- We can find new friends and communities that share our same interests.
- Express and share our creativity and ideas with the world.
- Get support during tough times.
- Discover and learn valuable information.
But it also can bring us mental health disorders as a consequence of the misuse of this tool. These are some of the mental disorders more common on social media users:
- FOMO (Fear of missing out)
- Depression
- Sleep problems
- Loneliness
- Anxiety
- Self-harm
- Suicidal thoughts.
But this is not a losing battle, and the solution is straightforward yet hard to do. Just reduce the time daily that you are using social media and increase your interactions with friends and family in person.
Some experts and some medical and psychological trials show that reducing your exposure between 10 and 30 minutes during the day will improve all the mental disorders you are experiencing.
Nevertheless, if you or someone you know are experiencing any of these mental disorders, please ask for help from a qualified professional.
Until next time,
Leo Martinez
