It’s common knowledge that humans are more anxious and depressed than ever before — and teenagers and young adults are among the most affected.
The culprit? All too often, it’s social media stress.
Recent studies have found a connection between the amount of time young people spend on social platforms and poor mental health outcomes:
- Youths 12–15 who spend over three hours a day on social apps double their likelihood of anxious or depressive feelings.
- Among adolescents and young adults who use social media, 35% report using at least one social platform almost constantly; 54% find it difficult to give up social media.
- Across colleges, access to Facebook led to an increase in severe depression for 7% of students and anxiety disorder for 20%.
Fear of Missing Out (FOMO)
But aren’t social platforms meant to be great connectors, bringing like-minded individuals together across time zones and borders?
Humans are communal creatures by nature, so in theory, social media is a great concept. But because we are so social, many people who use social apps suffer from the fear of missing out (popularly referred to as FOMO).
Most of us understand that the images of “perfection” we view on social media — someone’s awesome vacation, cool party, or extra-beautiful makeover — are fleeting or embellished. But people who spend a lot of time browsing these posts often develop FOMO, a disappointing sense that “I’m not as cool as that person” or “My life isn’t as fun as that.” It’s human nature to compare ourselves to others, and over time, FOMO can make us anxious, insecure, lonely, and even depressed.
Also, for users of all ages, social platforms can start to replace regular human contact. These people may spend much of their day “doomscrolling” social apps rather than participating in activities that relieve stress and boost mental health, like hitting the gym, spending time with family, or grabbing lunch with a friend.
The Effects of Social Media Stress
Perhaps most concerning, a social media “habit” is hard to break — precisely because social platforms are designed to be addictive. Social content spurs dopamine surges in your brain that make you crave more, similar to the addiction that causes someone to need cigarettes or alcohol to relax.
Your favorite social media platforms feed you content reinforcing that “everybody else” feels exactly as you do. So, you continually seek this validation, and it can be very hard to stop.
Another profound byproduct of social media addiction is sleep disruption.
Constant screen-gazing overstimulates our brains, so our minds can’t calm down naturally. This overstimulation occurs in patients across age brackets. Many of my patients, teens through adults, acknowledge they’re not turning off their screens as early as they should.
Because they distract the brain with social apps and TV shows until bedtime, they struggle to fall asleep — and/or stay asleep.
Social Media Stress in Young People
The human brain doesn’t reach full maturity until around age 25. So, social media poses special concerns for the developing minds of teens and young adults:
- Young people frequently build friendly relationships through social platforms, with little or no in-person communication or bonding over shared activities. Social media may help them feel connected, but they don’t build the deeper interpersonal connections that come from face-to-face interaction.
- Also, communicating via technology is different from in-person communication. Social app users often don’t filter their remarks as they would in a face-to-face scenario. Protected by a wall of technology, they may be judgmental or intolerant, stifle other viewpoints, or harass users who think differently.
- Young people aren’t prepared to make mature decisions or moderate their behavior like adults. This can be problematic on apps like Snapchat, where ill-doers frequently target or groom children and adolescents with drugs and sex. Users can send messages parents are unaware of, which quickly disappear with no record. As a parent, I find this particular platform warrants careful monitoring.
Social Media Stress and the News
In decades past, people interested in keeping up with current events simply sat down each day for a half-hour news broadcast that delivered a concise cross-section of the day’s happenings and opinions.
But, in the digital era, news and information are at our fingertips 24/7. We get the latest updates on any and every topic in real time.
For those who trawl social media regularly, this constant exposure can create social media stress. It’s easy to get caught up in alarming or fast-breaking news articles, adverse posts, or destructive comments. For example, in the early days of COVID, I read every pandemic-related post on social media, making myself so anxious I couldn’t sleep.
Shedding Social Media Stress
When I decided it was time for a change, I used the following strategies to help relieve my social media stress. See if they work for you:
Set time boundaries
- Decide on a particular frequency and time of day to consume social or news content and updates. Perhaps limit your exposure to once daily for certain apps rather than immersing yourself throughout the day.
When checking your socials, be sure the timing is appropriate. Should you be on Facebook at work? At events? During family time?
- Before logging on, decide which apps you’ll browse and how much time you’ll allow. Then stick to it. A study from the University of Pennsylvania found that limiting social media activity to 30 minutes a day over three weeks significantly reduced students’ FOMO and depressive feelings.
- Carefully evaluate your bedtime routine and what you do with those 60-to-90 minutes before sleep. Be sure screen time doesn’t impede your restful slumber. (And check in with your kids at bedtime. On most school nights, one-third of teens say they’re on social apps until midnight or later.)
Don’t loiter
Dodge posts or conversation threads that cause hurt feelings or angry thoughts. Spend your time only in positive and productive chats, connecting with others who share your interests.
Take a healthy break
Once in a while, escape your devices. Put them away and avoid looking at social apps to be more present for vacations, family gatherings, and work events.
Reflect on how social media stress affects you
Have the self-awareness to decide if one or more social platforms cause you problems. Ask yourself: Am I getting addicted to this type of content? Am I overly engaged with posts that make me feel bad? Then, adjust your use accordingly.
Final Thoughts on Social Media Stress
A few close friends you connect with face-to-face are far more rewarding — and better for your overall well-being — than connecting with dozens of semi-strangers on social platforms.
This is especially important for young people. The national Wait Until 8th campaign has a worthwhile mission: keeping kids away from smartphones until they finish eighth grade. Programs like Wait Until 8th let our kids be kids, and I’m very passionate about them.
Whether you’re concerned about your child’s use of social apps or you wonder how to manage your own social media stress, reach out. Your Priority Physicians encourage you to foster high-quality, in-person relationships that boost your well-being.
We’re proud to have such a relationship with you, and our team is always ready to chat — face-to-face, of course!
