This Article is a Guest Post.
Social media has, for long, been under criticism when it comes to the effects on students. It’s a widespread belief that the use of social media among the young generation is a common source of distraction and probably a way of wasting valuable time. Nowadays, there are multiple social media sites such as facebook, Instagram, snapchat, etc. Students who are addicted to these sites face many adverse effects on physical health as well as mental health.
However, most students still spent many hours online chatting with friends, watching videos, sharing photos, and a host of many other things. Many fail to understand the adverse effects of social media on a student’s mental health. Although the use of social media has some advantages, as every coin has two sides but social media and health issues are already a concern.
Below are the reasons why social media is bad for mental health:
1. Social media affects attention span
Social media avails lots of educational information to students, which is a good thing. However, most of them use social media for many reasons, and one of them is self-distraction or relief from boredom.
When others post updates on online platforms, the reinforcements keep coming, and these are mostly in the form of comments and likes. This way, you can easily become addicted, which may affect your concentration in your studies.
More so, if you have a low attention span, this will affect your overall performance in school. However, all is not lost; if you have issues being alert in-class sessions, you can seek the help of professionals to help you out with your studies by searching for an online class help site. Does the question, can I pay someone to take my online class come across your mind? Many professionals online helpers can take your class. Remember, they can assist with your online discussions, assignments, and essays.
2. Social media and Self-esteem
We all have insecurities in life, some that we can openly speak about and others that we’re better keeping to ourselves. Most students have the habit of comparing themselves with others on social media. They compare photos or stalk other people’s relationship status on Facebook, and this can result in envy and feelings of self-doubt.
In most cases, this happens when their life doesn’t match that of their peers. When you derive their sense of self-worth from social media, this is likely to heighten the risk of low self-esteem and feelings of less confidence. Ways in which social media affects self-esteem are;
Focusing on likes– The need to gain more likes on social media can make students and teens make wrong decisions, such as modifying their appearance, engaging in negative behaviors, or taking risky challenges online.
Making comparisons– Although most students know that their peers only share their highlight reels online, it’s difficult for them not to make comparisons. They compare everything from physical appearance, life circumstances, success and failures, and this can negatively impact how they perceive things.
3. Social media affects human connections
The adverse effects of social media on a student’s mental health are countless. As human beings, we need to communicate and have personal relationships with others, and students are no exception. It’s not easy to achieve this when you spent hours on electronic gadgets and social media. By so doing, you become familiar with digital facades than with others. The lack of real-life interaction with others, coupled with bullying, can be too much for any student to bear. It is advisable for the students to understand the advantages and disadvantages of social media.
4. Social media affects memory
Social media is an excellent way of looking back at memories as well as recounting past events. But, it affects how students and teenagers recollect things from their past. When you spent lots of time on electronic gadgets such as phones and tablets, and laptops, you divert from other aspects of life, and this can affect the pleasure you would be getting from such devices.
5. Social media affects sleep.
Adequate sleep is associated with many health gains. However, when students spent most of the time on social media, this can affect sleep patterns making it hard for you to fall asleep. When you get worked up with anxiety and envy from what you see on social media platforms, this can keep your brain on high alert and later disrupt your sleep.
More so, the light on the electronic gadgets used also has a role to play. It crushes the release of the hormone melatonin, and this results in feelings of sluggishness and sleep deprivation, which can affect your studies.
6. Social media can lead to mental health diseases.
Social media among students can not only cause unhappiness but can also result in many mental health concerns like anxiety and depression. This way, you spend time in the hospital, and this can affect your studies.
7. Social media and cyberbullying are intertwined.
With continued use of social media, teens become victims of cyberbullying; this happens in virtual space without any physical contact. Since students are powerless and unable to take real-time measures to stop such harassment; they end up tormented and mentally distressed.
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8. Social media and depression are correlated.
Students who frequent social media platforms are likely to experience stress and anxiety or other mood disorders. Snippets of information on Facebook and other online platforms can easily trigger stress, and this affects mental health in many ways.
Some students have the feeling of being left out when they see their peers chatting on social media and such results in fear of missing out. Such negative thoughts can affect their mental health by causing stress and anxiety. A social media and anxiety research paper by the centers for disease control in 2018 shared some sobering statistics on anxiety and depression among students.
Teens are more likely to get anxious, lonely, and depressed. Quite a number of them surveyed by the CDC attested to having persistent feelings of hopelessness, sadness, and it’s believed that the use of social media was to blame for the trend. When you suffer from depression and withdraw from friends, you’re likely to see others laughing, attending parties and sharing photos on social media, and this amplifies the sense of isolation.
Conclusion
The adverse effects of social media on a student’s mental health are numerous. Unfortunately, most of them are not aware of the devastating consequences. Is social media hurting your mental health? Anxiety depression, low self-esteem, low attention span, sleep deprivation, reduced human connections are some of the negative impacts. However, mindful use of social media does not harm mental health. It is important for the students or even for every human being to take care of their mental health. To ensure the positive effect of social media in daily lives one must use it wisely.
This Article is a Guest Post.
