Do you find yourself mindlessly scrolling through social media, or just scrolling for hours? Well you are not alone. 69% of adults and 81% of teens are on some form of social media. Although social media has its positives by allowing people to have connections with many people, professional and personal, and raising awareness on important issues in the world, it can have a detrimental effect on one's mental health. 

For many, social media is their method of connecting with others. This could be due to the fact that they live in a very rural area, or for many other reasons. Having social media be the only form of connection with other humans could lead to depression. Interaction with other humans causes hormones to be released in our bodies that lessen any stress and cause us to be overall happier. Without these in person connections, individuals may have higher stress and feel sad more often. 

When posting on social media such as instagram or facebook, others have the ability to like and/or comment on that post. When posting pictures, many are looking for a self-esteem boost. Likes are counted and everyone is able to see what someone comments on the post. If the likes are not as high as the person wanted, or no one commented, this can negatively affect someone's self-esteem. Likes and comments activate a reward center in the brain that is also activated with sex, food, etc. Dopamine gets released when the reward center is activated. Because of this, social media can then become addicting to some people. They become addicted to that good feeling that they get when someone likes or comments on their post. Without this reward, there is a risk for anxiety and depression, because you can then wonder why that feeling is no longer there. 

Posting pictures on social media can also lead to comparison of body image and even lifestyles. If someone posts a picture where they may be prettier or skinnier, the people viewing it may compare themselves to that picture, even if it was an edited picture. This comparison causes one to think less of themselves and can lead to depression as well, and unhealthy habits.

FOMO, or the fear of missing out, is another issue that can come along with social media use. When scrolling through instagram or other platforms, you may see others living a life that you wish you were living or even see your friends doing things that you didn’t know about or weren’t able to go to. This feeling can cause jealousy and depression. Someone who is experiencing FOMO may get depressed due to constant feelings of not being good enough, or worthy of the life that the people they are seeing are living. FOMO also comes into play when not checking social media. The addiction can also be thinking about it all the time, and constantly feeling the need to be checking and refreshing the social media pages. Anxiety can form from feeling like you will miss something if you are not constantly checking. 

Social media usage is also associated with lack of sleep and/or disrupted sleeping. Social media is often accessed in the evening or at night before bed. The usage of the phone or computer can lead to sleeping problems from the light. Lack of sleep can lead to memory loss, lessening of performance, and other things that are associated with worsening mental health. 

Social media is fun. We all use it, and enjoy it too. It has its benefits but the consequences can be detrimental. It is important to understand the risks and try to limit the amount of usage and monitor how it makes  you feel. Changes can be made in terms of amount of time spent on social media to make sure that mental health is prioritized too.