In the past decade or so, social media has become an inescapable part of life. Lacking information? You can crowdsource what you need. Feeling lonely? You can easily reach out to people and have a conversation. From education to dating, there is an app for practically every need.
Social media has many benefits, but its constant presence can also have disadvantages, particularly when it comes to mental health. Take a closer look at the pros and cons of its use.
Social media can strengthen relationships and a sense of self.
One of the primary benefits of social media is its most obvious: it can help people connect. Teenagers don’t just use a phone to call. They have a host of other options. For teenagers, platforms like Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok — all of these are not just for entertainment. They are ways to make new friends and stay connected with old ones.
This advantage is seen more strongly in teens who experience moving away or living in a different city. This is certainly true when it comes to the mental health of children in a city like Dubai, where our practice is based. Expatriate teenagers can get overwhelmed by new experiences and miss their friends and families back home. Social media helps them feel connected despite the distance.
Social media is also a venue for teens to show their individuality and creativity. The teen years are known to be a period of self-discovery. It can be quite empowering for someone to have a platform where they can express themselves, especially if they have a supportive community.
Social media can get ugly when taken to the extreme.
While there are many advantages to using social media, it can be a double-edged sword. The positives, when taken to the extreme, can affect mental health. For example, social media can cause teens to compare their lives to the carefully curated scenes that they see online. Called the “comparison trap”, this skewed view of themselves can amplify feelings of envy or inadequacy in teens. Instead of feeling more connected with others, teens can feel alienated and insecure.
This issue can also affect a person’s body image. Teens are particularly vulnerable because their sense of self is still forming. When they are bombarded by images of unrealistic body standards on their social media, it influences how they define beauty and even health. Left unchecked, this can lead to destructive behaviors like disordered eating.
One of the darkest sides of social media use is cyberbullying. It is particularly devastating because precisely because social media is so prevalent. For the one being bullied, it can feel like there is no escape. Hurtful comments can stay up for everyone to read as long as they are not deleted. Bullies can also feel emboldened by their anonymity. Bullying in itself can already cause mental issues like anxiety and depression. In this case, the connectivity that social media brings has extremely negative effects.
It is important to safeguard your mental health.
It is important to recognize that social media has an addictive quality. Science has studied it and any teen who checks their phone a million times a day will most likely confirm it. Like other addictions, the feel-good chemical dopamine is released when people use social media. There can be instances when a liked photo isn’t just a liked photo. It can also fulfill a person’s need for affirmation.
Social media’s effect on mental health is a reason why it should be used wisely. Given that social media use has advantages and disadvantages, concrete steps need to be taken to ensure that the pros outweigh the cons.
What can I do to use social media better?
Setting limits is one of the most practical ways to improve social media use. People should be more mindful of how many hours they spend looking at the screen. One reason behind this is that using social media constantly can disrupt sleep patterns, which can aggravate mental health issues such as anxiety and depression. Teens, who are still growing, need a lot of rest so the effect is more pronounced in them.
Parents should designate specific hours when their teens can go online. Not only will this ease the constant pressure of being constantly online, it will also encourage relationships outside of technology. Activities like hiking with friends or participating in team sports can help strengthen their mental and physical well-being.
Finally, parents should be proactive in learning more about the social media habits of their teens. They should find out their interests, the social challenges they participate in, and their general experiences in social media. Answering these questions also helps the teens evaluate how they feel and practice self-reflection about their social media use.
How to navigate the social media landscape in Dubai.
Dubai is a melting pot of identities, cultures, and lifestyles. While this can give the city a unique flair, it can also cause a lot of pressure on teens to live up to this fast-paced environment. There is also a large expatriate teen population who use social media as a way to stay connected to loved ones who live far away. These factors can make the city’s teens vulnerable to the dangers of excessive social media use.
But these teens are not some hapless prey. The youth are quite savvy when it comes to technology, so if they are given the right tools and motivation, they can reap the benefits of social media and set healthy boundaries for themselves. Teens living in Dubai can benefit from an increased literacy in navigating the social media landscape. Whether they learn it at home or in school, they need to know the benefits and disadvantages of using social media.
Conclusion: Finding balance is the key.
While there are not a lot of certainties in life, it is no exaggeration to say that social media is likely to stay. Its influence and importance will likely grow. Social media’s influence isn’t just seen in Dubai — its reach is global. But, its effects are personal.
This makes finding the balance when using it necessary. You want to take the good, and leave the rest behind. This is not a journey that needs to be taken solo. If you or someone you know is struggling with the negative effects of social media, help is available. Visit Dubai Psycholgy for mental health assistance and professional support.