A majority of today’s social media users admit they can not go to the bathroom without taking there phone with them to check their social media accounts. I would consider that a mental effect all on it’s own. Because social media effects the same part of your brain that activates identical pleasure sensors of having sex, eating chocolate and getting money; social media can be addictive.
Social media can cause depression, anxiety, low self esteem, overeating, PTSD triggers, FOMO (fear of missing out), conformity and a lot of keeping up with virtual friends. I personally know an ex boyfriend who claimed he became depressed when he would look at his friends Facebook pages and see they were farther along in life than him.
With social media usage on the rise, the average person uses social media around two hours per day. That means of the 78% of Americans that have social media accounts and 2.34 billion users worldwide, are stressed and feeling bad over the effects of social media. Stemming from the fact that it’s all about Me, Me, Me, Me, with 80% of Social Media posts being about ourselves and our appearance to others.
Think before social media dominates you if it already hasn’t and use in moderation. Cut your using time in half and connect with real friends. Use the rest of your time to do good for others and get away from self.
Brown, N. (2017). How to Prevent Social Media Depression https://www.fix.com/blog/does-social-media-cause-depression/
Caroline Rose Roy 777 