Adverse effects of social media

Along with the good comes the bad. With all of its benefits, the nature of social media presents a range of potential issues.

Social media itself is not the problem. It is the way people use it in place of actual communication and in-person socializing. “Friends” on social media may not actually be friends, and may even be strangers.

Excessive time spent on social media can lead to cyberbullying, social anxiety, depression, and exposure to content that is not age appropriate.

When you’re playing a game or accomplishing a task, you seek to do it as well as you can. Once you succeed, your brain will give you a dose of dopamine and other happiness hormones, making you happy. The same mechanism functions when you post a picture to Instagram or Facebook. Once you see all the notifications for likes and positive comments popping up on your screen, you’ll subconsciously register it as a reward. But that’s not all, social media is full of mood-modifying experiences.

Fear of Missing Out or FOMO has become a common theme, and often leads to continual checking of social media sites. The idea that you might miss out on something if you’re not online can affect your mental health.

Social media sites provide tools that allow people to earn others’ approval for their appearance and the possibility to compare themselves to others. It can be associated with body image concerns. The “selfieholics” and people who spend most of their time posting and scrolling are the ones most vulnerable to this. In fact, most college girls who use Facebook at least five times a day are likely to link their self-worth to their looks. That doesn’t mean that the main problem is social media; it only provides a medium for it, which further elevates the problem. It also promotes the same sort of behavior to others.

As parents, there are things we can do to improve our children’s lives online and in real life.

Attempt to model the behavior we want to see. Set boundaries right way when you give your child their first phone. Set parental controls on his or her phone, with access to their passwords. Phones should be charged somewhere other than their room at night, and should be shut off an hour or two before bed. Have conversations with your children on why some things should be kept private. Take time to actively engage with your kids face-to-face. This interaction teaches them how to follow social cues, verbal and non-verbal. Talk to your kids without glancing at your phone.

Find opportunities to have genuine conversations that are not lectures. Be aware of privacy concerns and cybersecurity issues.

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