Social Media’s effects on mental, emotional, and physical health are undeniable. While some of these effects can be positive, the negative side is often more visible. So it is time we take a stance and try to do anything we can stop these bad outcomes of social medial.

According to Yale Medicine, “a research study of American teens ages 12-15, those who used social media over three hours each day faced twice the risk of having negative mental health outcomes, including depression and anxiety symptoms.” This is unfortunately, a possible and harmful effect of social media. While online, people can easily get confused or misled about what is real and what is fake. This can, and has, make people feel like they are not good enough compared to others. When this happens, they are more likely to fall into mental illnesses like depression and anxiety.

Unfortunately, we can also see that eating disorders are another terrible outcome of social media. According to National Library of Medicine, “The reported prevalence rate for anorexia nervosa is 0.48% among girls 15 to 19 years old. Approximately 1% to 5% of adolescent girls meet the criteria for bulimia nervosa.” This negative outcome of comparison has existed for a long time, but the amount of people who have these disorders have skyrocketed specifically after social media has shown up.

Both are negative side effects of social media, but it unfortunately gets worse. According to BMC, “While there are many benefits for young people to use social media, adverse effects such as cyberbullying, online challenges, social comparison and imitation may provoke and aggravate suicidal thoughts and behaviors.” The rise of teen suicide after the introduction of social media in society is a very terrible reality, and we need to do everything we can to stop it.

But the companies who own these platforms must know about these issues, and try to prevent it. Well, according to Levy Konigsberg, that is not true. “The real tipping point that brought these lawsuits to light was when a former Facebook product manager leaked company information that showed Meta knew or reasonably should have known that its Instagram app was damaging to its users’ mental health and body images.” This shows that it is really up to us to do everything we can to prevent these negative outcomes.

As mentioned earlier, there can be positive effects of social media on its users. According to Yale Medicine, “The advisory points to a 2022 survey of American teenagers and their parents by the Pew Research Center, which showed that a majority of respondents felt that social media helps teenagers feel more accepted (58%), like they have people who can support them through tough times (67%), that they have a place to show their creative side (71%), and that they are more connected to what’s going on in their friends’ lives (80%).” After all, this is what social media was created for. Another positive outcome of social media platforms according to McLean Hospital is “their ability to allow people to stay in touch with family and friends around the world.” So, as we can see, social media is not all negative.

Yet despite the positive outcomes, the bad side is still there to be concerned about. Well, for starters, we should limit the amount of time we spend on social media. According to Mayo Clinic Health System, “Putting down your phone and going outside or doing an enjoyable activity can be a mood booster. It can make you feel more accomplished and improve your well-being. Depression and anxiety can cause a person to withdraw and isolate themselves from others. Engaging in social activities helps you connect with others and reduce symptoms of these conditions.” You can also turn off your notifications, to prevent yourself from being drawn back into social media at times you do not need to be. While these may seem like small things that will not help, you will probably see a big difference in the long run.

Social media has had a big impact on our society in the past 10 years or so, and people are still adapting and learning.  However, social media can be very harmful to people’s mental health, bodies, and even lives. It is time we start taking steps to create a better online environment for ourselves and each other, and take notice of how harmful social media can be.