How to Quit from Social Media Addiction? | Safe and Sound
Many studies have shown the negative impact of social networks on mental health, especially among young people. By abusing social networks, users can be stressed and face many psychological problems and emotional disorders... So how can we take advantage of the benefits of social networks while still ensuring mental health?
Vi Nguyen Duy Minh | Specialist - SnS Institute of Psychology and Mental Health
Center for Community Health and Development Research
1. The dark side of social media on mental health
Nowadays, social media has become an indispensable part of life. However, that role makes many people "addicted" to social media. This syndrome seriously affects the psychology and mental health of young people, even before the pandemic.
While using social media for the purpose of connecting and expanding relationships is good for mental health, using it for entertainment purposes, especially for a long time, increases negative emotions. A study conducted on children in the UK in 2015 showed that using social media for 3 hours/day significantly increases the risk of psychological and mental health problems.
Although entertainment with smartphones and social media brings positive emotions in the short term, it is generally not good for mental health. On the contrary, it increases feelings of loneliness. In addition, images shared on social media are edited and selected to reflect only the good things that the poster wants to show. Young people tend to compare themselves, and if they find themselves inferior, they will be stressed, and their self-esteem will be seriously damaged. Even the person posting those pictures is psychologically affected by the feeling of restlessness, expecting high interaction with the post.
More seriously, social media also facilitates online violence and many other forms of cybercrime, which are especially dangerous for children. Social media friends can easily make children feel more confident. Bullies can spread violent words and images and hurt and humiliate children with just a keystroke.
Although violence occurs in cyberspace, it has real-world consequences. Research shows that victims of cyberbullying are more likely than other students to use alcohol and drugs and skip school. They are also more likely to get poor grades, have low self-esteem, and have health problems. In severe cases, cyberbullying can lead to suicide.
Cyber violence is dangerous to mental health
3. How to quit social media addiction?
If you usually use social media for relaxation purposes, try replacing it with other habits such as listening to music, exercising, playing with pets... Although this may seem difficult at first, persevere because the long-term benefits to mental health are huge.
Exercise is an effective way to quit social media
If you often use it for connection purposes, switch to applications that only have video call functions to avoid distractions. In addition, if conditions allow, invite friends and relatives to your home to erase the distance and limit the impact of electronic devices. Besides, you should also consider joining community organizations and offline groups with people who share the same passion and similarities to increase connectivity.
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