Today’s youth and teenagers’ lives revolve around Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and other social media apps. The statistical data shows an increase in social media users from 970 million in 2010 to 5.24 billion in 2025.
Where social media usage positively impacts humans through support and connections, it has some negative effects as well. Recently, the increasing number of psychological and stress problems in teenagers and adults indicates a strong relationship between social media and anxiety.
The relationship between social media usage and anxiety is not as simple as you think. This article will uncover this complex relationship, social media contribution to anxiety problems, and how its safe usage can reduce such problems.
Relation of Social Media Use and Anxiety
To understand the relation of social media use and anxiety, we first need to understand the connection between mental health and social media. The reinforcing nature of social media poses the risk of a reward.
The social media platforms are specifically designed on a pattern that makes users addicted to them. Using these apps signals the brain reward center to activate and releases dopamine, also referred to as the feel-good hormone.
Users seek these rewards in the form of likes, an enhanced social circle, and positive feedback by posting content. This leads the users to enter the stage of comparison. What other person posted to get more likes than me? Why does that person gain more popularity than I? And the list goes on.
At this point, social media usage starts inducing stress, depression, and anxiety among users. Let’s dive in to uncover the effects of social media on the mood, behavior, and personality of individuals.
How Social Media Leads to Anxiety?
Social media leads people to live in a world of fakery. Many social media platforms, such as Snapchat, TikTok, and Instagram, provide filter options to easily alter the physical appearance of a person. Filters can easily hide the imperfections and allow users to portray false or altered images because filters make them dislike the way they are.
When the other users continuously see altered physical appearances, they become self-conscious and start comparing themselves with this fake world, which leads to anxiety issues. Here are some changes in social media users heading towards anxiety:
1. FOMO
Social media addiction increases feelings of FOMO (fear of missing out). Constantly checking on social media profiles of your relatives or friends makes you feel that they are enjoying their lives full of fun. This affects self-esteem and triggers anxiety.
2. Social Comparison
Comparison with social media identities and beauty standards makes you doubt your self-image and lowers your self-esteem.
3. Cyberbullying
Just like school bullying, cyberbullying is a term of the digital world. Continuous and intentional harassment, mocking, and mistreating impact a person’s confidence and leave a lasting impact on mental health.
4. Sleep Disturbances
Today, our morning routine starts with checking phone notifications, and our night routine ends with checking social media. The light rays coming from mobiles and other devices interrupt our sleep.
5. Loneliness
Making social interactions cuts you off from the physical world. Social media not only gives you anxiety and stress, but also the loneliness of the physical world.
Tips for Safe Use of Social Media
It’s possible to make use of social media healthily and interactively. If you are struggling to reduce screen time stress, these tips could help you improve your relationship with social media. It will prevent social media from negatively impacting your mental health. Here’s what you should do:
- Limit your social media usage and assign specific hours for it.
- Unfriend or unfollow those profiles or accounts that make you feel bad about yourself and your life.
- Improve your sleep by avoiding screens right after waking up or before going to sleep. You can also use various products, like full spectrum gummies, that may aid in restful sleep.
- Try to be active in your physical life and connections than on social media.
- Practice mindfulness to prevent stress and anxiety issues. You can do it through meditation or exercise.
Bottom Line
Social media usage has both pros and cons. The way you use it could make it a source of growth or a reason for anxiety. Social media addiction could lead to an increase in anxiety rates in users due to its design pattern.
No worries, there is always a solution to every problem. You just have to find the right one for you. If you are also experiencing social media-related mental issues, it’s time to heal yourself by implementing useful tips for safe use of social media.