The social media dilemma: Balancing the positive and negative impacts.

1. The Social Media
Dilemma; Balancing
Advantages and Risk
Can we afford to ignore the impacts of social media on
mental health?

2. THE ROLE SOCIAL
MEDIA PLAYS IN
MENTAL HEALTH
• In today’s world, many of us rely on social
media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter,
Snapchat, YouTube, and Instagram to find
and connect with each other. While each has
its benefits, it’s important to remember that
social media can never be a replacement for
real-world human connection. It requires in-
person contact with others to trigger the
hormones that alleviate stress and make you
feel happier, healthier, and more positive.
Ironically for a technology that’s designed to
bring people closer together, spending too
much time engaging with social media can
make you feel lonely and secluded and
exacerbate mental health problems such
as anxiety and depression.

3. POTENTIAL RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH SOCIAL
MEDIA USE AMONG ADOLESCENTS
1)Display of risky behaviors.
As teens explore their sexuality and identity on social media sites, they
may post images, videos or text referencing risky behaviors including
substance use, sex and violence. Teens may display this material on
their pages in various forms including pictures of themselves or others
engaging in these acts, comments or posts about their participation in
these behaviors, photos, or quotes referencing these behaviors

4. 2) Cyberbullying and Internet Harassment
Cyberbullying has garnered significant attention
in the media in recent years, mainly due to
multiple high-profile cases of teen suicides
attributed to this newer form of bullying. Mental
health professionals who treat adolescents
frequently encounter patients who have been
bullied online and witness the negative
psychological impact of cyberbullying on their
patients. Cyberbullying is described as the
“willful and repeated harm inflicted through the
use of computers, cell phones and other
electronic devices”
This Photo by Unknown author is licensed under CC BY-SA-NC.

5. 3) Social Media and Suicide
As adolescents are increasingly using cell
phones and social media as main forms of
communication, they are more likely to use
this technology to communicate and share
their distress and suicidal thoughts with
others. These sites can be a forum for
expressing suicidal ideation, and there are
numerous cases of individuals who have
shared suicidal intent and plan via social
media prior to committing suicide.
Psychiatrists have encountered teens who
presented to the ER or were admitted to a
psychiatric hospital after sharing suicidal
thoughts via social media or text messages.
This Photo by Unknown author is licensed under CC BY-SA-NC.

6. FEAR OF MISSING OUT (FOMO)
• FOMO describes the nagging feeling that other people may be experiencing something fun and
awesome but that you are missing out on it. It is easy to see why experiencing FOMO has been
linked to interest in social media: If someone is afraid that their friends are doing all of these
awesome activities without including them, constantly checking their social media feeds to see
what they are up could make sense from this person’s perspective.
• FOMO is suggested to have a negative impact on an individual’s mental health. Frequently
checking and refreshing social networking sites for a fear of missing out can heighten levels of
anxiety, increase emotional tension and decrease the ability to regulate emotions.
• The time spent on social networking sites due to FOMO has also been found to be a possible
predictor of emotional distress.
• FOMO on social media can become problematic for people who then get stuck in a cycle of
needing constant validation and rewards while presenting a distorted sense of self.

7. Distorted Self-Image
• Social media encourages us to compare ourselves with others and question our self-
worth. Pictures of amazing vacations, perfect bodies, and flawless lives can fuel self-doubt,
destroying our self-image and confidence. Whether you’re struggling with a negative self-image
or looking to curb your scrolling.
• Social media affects body image by exposing people to idealized or edited images of others, which
can make them compare themselves and feel unhappy or flawed. This can lead to negative
consequences for their psychological and physical wellbeing, such as Body Dysmorphic Disorder
or disordered eating behaviors.
• At every point in history, there has always been a perceived ideal body type for women, from the
hourglass figure of the 1950s to today’s Kylie Jenner-esque body type. Instagram creates an easily
accessible yet highly detrimental outlet, promoting whatever body type is “in style,” even if it’s
nearly impossible to attain.

8. Benefits of social media
• Social media allows teens to create online identities, communicate
with others and build social networks. These networks can provide
teens with valuable support, especially helping those who experience
exclusion or have disabilities or chronic illnesses.
• Teens also use social media for entertainment and self-expression.
And the platforms can expose teens to current events, allow them to
interact across geographic barriers and teach them about a variety of
subjects, including healthy behaviors. Social media that's humorous
or distracting or provides a meaningful connection to peers and a
wide social network might even help teens avoid depression.

9. GEN-Z and Social
Media
• Gen Zers, on average, are more likely than other
generations to cite negative feelings about social
media. Social media is defined here as apps to
connect, potentially broadly, with other users. It
does not include direct messaging apps. They are
also more likely to report having poor mental
health. But correlation is not causation, and our
data indicate that the relationship between social
media use and mental health is complex.

10. Thank you
Krsh Welfare Organization
BY-Shubhanshi Garg