How does social media affect you?

Maybe you’re here because you’re curious about social media. A lot of people are – after all, there is a lot of controversy around it. Maybe you’re also wondering what social media has to do with your mental health. Or maybe you would like to manage your screen time better, but don’t know how?
Actually, adolescents spend on average 3,4 hours per day on social media.
Here you will find answers to the following questions:
  • Benefits and downsides of social media
  • Practical tips on social media usage
  • Social media FAQ

How does social media affect you?

If you want to learn about the link of social media and your mental health more interactively and learn how to deal with FOMO or comparing yourself, check out our eSano module "How does social media affect you?".
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Benefits and downsides of social media

Why do people use social media in the first place?
So far, everything sounded good. As you probably know, however, social media can also be problematic.
The more you check your phone, the worse these effects can be.
Besides, if you see a lot of alcohol and substance use online, you’re at a higher risk of drinking or taking drugs yourself. This also goes for dieting, self-harm or suicidal content. You can find round-the-clock help on our emergency help button
Get help
Another problem with social media is cyber bullying. Because this is such a big topic, we have created an extra module for it:
If you want to learn more about (cyber-) bullying and how to help yourself or others, check out our eSano module "Bullying: Tips & support".
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Listing the advantages and disadvantages of social media is not intended to make you decide in favour of or against using social media, that is a very black-and-white suggestion. In reality, the solution is probably somewhere in the middle. We want to help you to figure out how to use social media to your personal advantage and how to take care of your mental health while doing so.

Practical tips on social media use

Social media FAQ

Yes! According to psychologists, students’ mood and sleep can improve and anxiety can go down after a social media detox.

You don’t have to unplug for two whole weeks if you don’t want to! Maybe just start small with an hour a day or one day a week?

You could even ask your friends to join if you like. That way it wouldn’t even feel like you’re missing out on stuff as much!

It’s totally normal for people to compare themselves to others – there’s a ton of psychological research on that.

Here are some tips what you can do:

FOMO means “fear of missing out” – that is, missing out on experiences or information. People are scared to be left out, for example when they can see on social media that others are out having fun.
Social media are designed in such a way that we don’t want to stop using them and they quickly become addictive. It is therefore important to counteract this temptation. In general, app timers can help to limit time. It also helps to create a balance in the real world, e.g. by meeting up with friends or pursuing a hobby that has nothing to do with social media such as sport, reading, doing something creative, …

If you feel like you use social media to avoid feelings, check out our eSano module "Caught in a feeling".

If you want some inspiration on how to get in action instead of using social media, check out our eSano module "Give your mind a break - and get moving!".

If you feel like you use social media because it’s hard for you to meet people, check out our eSano module "Meeting new people and making friends".

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