Social media has transformed how we interact, but also brings its demons into the realms of communication.

Stories in the traditional media abound with the dangers – particularly for the young. Cyber-bullying kills. Fake News incites hate and ignorance. Doctored images of the beautiful and famous create looks unattainable for ‘normal’ folk. Likes and retweets are vainly sought to create illusions of popularity or importance. With 91 per cent of 16-24-year-olds using social media, these issues are rife. For such ‘Digital Natives’ this addictive behaviour is perhaps understandable, but its omnipresence also affects those brought up in a simpler analogue world.

With technology moving ever faster, platforms from YouTube and MySpace to Facebook, Twitter and Instagram drop in and out of fashion with bewildering speed. On the plus side, social media can improve user’s sense of community, self-expression and self-identity. How it’s used obviously plays a major role, but it’s perhaps worth noting that a recent survey rated YouTube as the most positive – with Instagram coming bottom. The BBC described the latter as ‘the worse social media platform when it comes to young people’s mental health’.

The digital world never sleeps. Information overload is easy when you’re presented with the random thoughts, favourite TV shows, and home-cooked dinners of a 100 people you half-know. In comparison, our own lives can seem rather dull – hence the popularity of the very modern acronym: FOMO – or Fear of Missing Out. As our connections multiply – many of us feel lonely gazing through a computer window at the airbrushed lives of others.

It is hard to disappear beneath the radar or switch off from 24-hour technology. Insomnia is a common symptom of anxiety and depression and staring at your smartphone at 2am rarely soothes the mind. Many of my clients – young and old – discuss the stress induced by following social media… how ever-widening social circles are diluted rather than enriched… how Facebook friends are less reliable than real ones… how the allegedly glamorous lives of others make us question the adequacy of our own existence.

The unceasing flow of data does not increase its quality or meaning. Some follow world events obsessively, but when the news agenda is dominated by negativity, it’s a habit that can darken our perception of humankind. And while pictures can say a thousand words, the blur of images can blunt our sensitivity rather than educate and enlighten. Billions of years of evolution has given us five senses – social media discards all but two!

Social media ultimately challenges us to sell ourselves. The increasing worship of physical appearance – let alone the visual lies created by digital editing – can promote insecurity about how we look. It encourages us to be seen and heard above the noise of everyday life. Perhaps it’s best symbolised by the tourist tool of a Selfie-stick with which we become both the subject and object of our own experiences. Might we not be missing something in between?

Taking back control

Problems created by social media lack the direct and painful sting of death, heartbreak or serious illness, but using it excessively can heighten the symptoms of other issues.

The cure is not rocket science. Reducing use is an obvious antidote, but a hard medicine for many to swallow. As going on-line is now ‘normal’ behaviour, we may not realise how much it helps or hinders our everyday life. To evaluate these effects, try calculating the ratio between how often you check your social media with how often it brings new meaning and happiness to your life! From here, you can perhaps devise a happy medium – not just in the time you spend on it, but on which parts have a positive or negative influence on your life. Make the adjustments and bring some balance back.

In therapy, we encourage people to look into themselves to discover what they really want away from the distracting demands and influences of others. Detaching yourself from a billion confusing and contradictory worlds on social media may perform a similarly useful and insightful role. And once you know yourself better, you can Like yourself without having to log in for approval from others.

Further information

If you are worried about the effects of social media on yourself or someone you know, speak to your GP about how counselling may help. As a parent, you can also help by finding out more about your child’s social media consumption and its effects on them.

The report discussed in the blog was compiled by the Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH), an independent charity working to improve the health and well-being of the public. It makes recommendations for those with influence in changing our social media habits, such as schools, organisations and governments.

Briefly, it suggested pop-up warnings for excessive use; icons highlighting when photos are digitally manipulated; health information to be certified as trust-worthy; safe social media to be taught in school; for platforms to identify vulnerable users and sign-post help; for youth workers to have social media training; and more research made for the effects of social media on mental health.

For the full report, go to nhs.uk/news/food-and-diet/instagram-ranked-worst-for-mental-health-in-teen-survey.