The past couple of decades have seen the unprecedented popularity of social media. Apps like Facebook and X allow anyone to share aspects of their life online and engage with others.
While this undoubtedly has its benefits, an increasing number of people, including parents, are becoming concerned about the effects of social media on our mental health.
Problematic Use
Social media can be quite addictive, particularly for adolescents who have yet to develop the full ability to regulate their emotions. This can result in many hours of screen time being racked up over the course of a day, not to mention arguments when putting it away.
Mental Health
Unfortunately, there’s a clear correlation between overuse of social media and poor mental health. Indeed, those who display symptoms of addiction to social media can experience increased anxiety, depression and worse academic performance.
Mental health professionals are increasingly undertaking trauma informed practice training to develop the skills to support people of all ages with mental health issues. Anyone working in the field may wish to consider trauma informed practice training to progress in this interesting area.
What’s Next?
The World Health Organisation has recently begun a campaign to educate and empower young people to better understand the problems associated with excessive social media usage via schools.
Additionally, the WHO encourages open dialogue between teenagers and their parents, to help them regulate their usage and have a safe space to open up if they encounter any problems online or feel unhappy.
