“People depict picture-perfect lifestyles and photoshopped faces and bodies altering the ‘ideal’ toward something that is not real and is essentially unattainable,” says clinical psychologist Dr. Lori Ryland, PhD, an advanced addictions counselor and chief clinical offer at Pinnacle Treatment Centers. “Studies have shown that the more one engages in social media each day, the higher rate of mood disorder, stress and anxiety, and suicidal ideation.” In fact, news recently broke that Facebook was quietly sitting on some internal research that showed that using Instagram had a negative effect on the mental health and body image of adolescent girls, causing an increase in anxiety and depression. And other studies have also shown a link between social media use and the aggravation of mental health problems. All of this knowledge might lead you to conclude that putting a cap on your social media use could be beneficial for your own mental well-being. And it might. But if you want to stay on these platforms for whatever reason, what’s the ideal amount of time to spend there?
How social media amplifies a problem that already existed
People have always aspired to be something that they’re not: thinner, more attractive, wealthier, more successful, etc. But social media has amplified the problems that already existed in our society by giving them a much larger reach, says Dr. Erin Parks, PhD, a psychologist, chief operating officer and chief clinical officer for Equip, which provides care for eating disorders via telehealth. “It’s not that social media invented the problem,” says Dr. Parks. “But it’s increased our exposure.” For example, flip through a magazine, and you might see a few dozen airbrushed photos of slender, impeccably styled models. But scroll through Instagram or another social media platform and you can see hundreds, even thousands, of “perfect images” in a very short period of time, Dr. Parks explains. The sheer quantity of those impossible-to-achieve images can start to wear you down and make you think that something is wrong with you and your unfiltered body and life.
Figuring out what amount of social media exposure works for you
So, what can you do about all of this? “The most immediate thing that any person can do is to take charge of their digital life,” says psychologist Dr. Alex J. Packer, PhD, author of the recently published book Slaying Digital Dragons: Tips and Tools for Protecting Your Body, Brain, Psyche, and Thumbs from the Digital Dark Side. That might include setting some time limits for yourself. But here’s something to consider: there’s not really a hard-and-fast limit for social media use that can be applied to everyone across the board. For one thing, people’s social media usage habits vary. And their experiences do, too: Some people only use social media sparingly anyway. Others use it regularly but don’t experience too many ill effects. And there are those who spend hours every day using social media and then wonder why they’re feeling anxious or insecure. So an appropriate limit for one person might not make sense for another person. Instead, think about the situation like this: you want to be more cognizant of how much time you’re spending on social media and how it’s making you feel—and then set some parameters for yourself accordingly. Dr. Parks says she stresses the importance of intentionality when it comes to social media use. She advises people to assess how they feel after spending some time on a particular social media platform, then ask yourself if that’s how you want to feel—or consider who or what you are following on a particular platform and if those choices are a positive influence or a negative one. “Consider how much time is spent on social media and what that time could be used for,” adds Dr. Ryland. “Precious moments with loved ones and opportunities to engage in meaningful ways with our children.” With all of that in mind, you can begin to determine the appropriate amount of time (if any) that you spend on social media for you.
Strategies for using social media more deliberately
If you do want to reduce your social media use or be more strategic about using social media for the positive benefits, here are a few strategies that might help you:
Change your notifications. Does a steady stream of notifications from Instagram or Twitter pop up on your phone all day long? Time to set some limits if they’re distracting you and causing you to pick up your phone and spend more time on social media than you had planned to. You could turn off notifications altogether, or you could set time limits or other parameters that decrease the number of notifications that you get.Curate your feed. Choose to follow accounts or posters with messages that you find inspiring or positive—or at least don’t create negative feelings.Try a social media fast. “What if on Saturdays, you just don’t do social media all?” suggests Dr. Packer. “You might discover a freedom that you enjoy.” Try picking a day or a weekend or some other period of time where you resolve to avoid using social media altogether and see how you feel during and afterward.Try an app fast. Can’t imagine taking a complete break from all your social media platforms? You could consider taking a break from one of them—perhaps one that tends to monopolize more of your time or inspire the most negative feelings.Bury your social media platforms on your phone. Dr. Packer notes that he recommends this strategy to teens in his new book because making it a little harder to get to your social media apps might make you be more conscious about using them, especially if you tend to mindlessly click on an app to check for new posts without giving it much thought.Only use social media on your desktop, laptop or tablet, not your phone. If it’s too hard to resist TikTok or Facebook on your phone, remove the apps from your phone so you have to log onto your computer or your tablet to view them.Keep talking to your kids and teens, if you have them, about safe and appropriate use of social media.
Next up: Here Are 10 Things That Happen When You Quit Social Media
Sources
Social Media Use and Its Connection to Mental Health: A Systematic Review.Cureus.Dr. Alex J. Packer, PhD, psychologist and authorDr. Erin Parks, PhD, psychologist and Chief Operating Officer, Chief Clinical Officer, and co-founder of Equip.Dr. Lori Ryland, PhD, Clinical psychologist, advanced addictions counselor, and chief clinical offer at Pinnacle Treatment Centers.
