Social Media and Mental Health

Growing up in Liberia, without the multitude of gadgets and social media platforms of the present day, my life before the civil war was simple, peaceful, child friendly and beautiful. There was no pressure to be anything other than myself. Happiness came naturally. It wasn't something we as kids strive or aspire to. Life was simply being happy and childlike. Nowadays, you can buy happiness in a bottle or an app. As a child, I had no responsibility other than to play outdoors with my friends. This narrative, however, may have been untrue for others, especially those who culturally had to be married off at a young age or who had to work for their next meal. It would be ignorant to think that every child when I was growing up had a happy life; I had a happy life. Most kids where I grew up had similar lives, and I could not know how other people lived across the globe or even two hours away as we do now. Therefore, back then, we couldn't compare our lives with others creating the feeling of being left out of a trend, poor, disadvantaged, and marginalised.

Social Media and Mental Health

With all its negative influences, social media has some positive aspects, including we have become the most informed generation, and there's the opening of doors to many cultures and ideas far beyond what I ever knew; but how much information is too much?

With the internet's ability to connect people, we are more separated and divided, with many living in isolation with minimum human contact. Additionally, even though access to the world is better than no access, too much knowledge of other people's lives may create discontentment, jealousy, resentment, and the pressure to look like and fit in.

Children, young adults, and even adults, including those retired, are bombarded by what the world interprets as happiness, getting the next best designer gear or looking like your favourite artists. Comparing with the Joneses next door is no longer enough; we now compare with all the Joneses around the globe. The madness of imitating celebrities' lifestyles on an empty bank account will most definitely mess with one's sense of worth. The pressure of fitting in, being seen and heard is even extended to children as young as two or three. Babies, as early as in the womb, are designed to fit into a world which promises fake completeness and happiness.

As a child growing up in Liberia, my friends and I could wander away from home for hours playing with no thought of getting kidnap or hurt. The most fear I had was of ghosts or witches. Today's world has become unsafe regardless of social media exposure, including the most remote villages in Liberia; therefore, if parents can afford these apps or gadgets, which studies found to be mentally detrimental, they can, however, physically keep their children entertained safely. A mother recently told me she would rather have a broken, alive child with the hope of healing than a broken dead child; I got her point.

Will children ever return to being children? As a mother, I, too, am guilty of placing my children before the television, iPad, and video games for hours on end because, in the UK, it was becoming unsafe to allow them to play outside. Living in a cramped drug-ridden neighbourhood with criminals on the prey looking for their next innocent victim, the best place I felt I could keep them safe was indoors. Even with the knowledge of numerous studies that prolonged use of social media apps can affect a person's physical and mental well-being, causing disruptions to sleep, eating, socialising and lifestyle choices, I had little choice. Social media platforms are found to significantly contribute to many mental health illnesses, such as anxiety, depression, eating disorder and isolation and have been found to lead to suicidal behaviour among young people.

In the link below, the Lanier Law Firm has extensively covered the addiction and adverse effects of social media among young people. I firmly believe their claims; however, I think anything and everything in moderation is always the best approach. Moreover, many other underlining factors could cause social media addiction, and social media is also an escape for many young people living in horrendous conditions. For some, physical illness means they are housebound, and social media platforms give them a window into the world.

https://www.lanierlawfirm.com/social-media-addiction/