5 Ways To Stop The Negative Effects Of Social Media

According to DemandSage.com, nearly 5 billion people use social media worldwide, which is more than half of the world’s population (61%). Experts predict that number will rise to 5.17 billion by 2024. It’s probably no surprise that Facebook leads the field with 3.05 billion users. The typical social media user is on six different platforms. 

Social media has many benefits and can be a positive tool. It allows us to connect with family and friends and interact with businesses. 

We can use it to preserve memories and share experiences or things of interest. 

We can use it to learn new skills or teach others. Take YouTube, for example, you can learn just about anything you want to know, from fixing the garbage disposal to knitting a winter scarf!  

Let’s not forget about Pinterest and its vast pictures and short reels. Then there are Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, and others that offer images and videos with brief written explanations.

Despite these benefits, social media also has its disadvantages. 

Research shows that spending too much time on these platforms can lead to increased stress, loneliness, isolation, and depression.

Claude Mellins, Professor of medical psychology in the Departments of Psychiatry and Sociomedical Sciences, writes, “Although there are important benefits, social media can also provide platforms for bullying and exclusion, unrealistic expectations about body image and sources of popularity, normalization of risk-taking behaviors, and can be detrimental to mental health.”

We need to be wise and protect our minds when using social media. Why? To maximize its benefits while minimizing its detrimental effects. 

Here are five ways to do just that.

Customize Your Feed

Be ruthless. Social media exists for you; you don’t exist for social media. 

Unfollow, block, or remove negative or fearmongering people or pages. Delete toxic friends. 

Limit who views and comments on your posts. 

People are not entitled to have access to your life. So, don’t let them guilt, shame, or manipulate you into thinking they should have a say in your life. 

Keeping a small circle of virtual friends is perfectly okay (and perhaps even healthy).

Replace people and organizations with accounts that inspire and encourage you – that build you up and make you feel good about yourself.

Look for people who embrace their natural beauty and focus on wholesome things. Follow people who are constantly spreading positive words of motivation across their feeds.

Use this Ancient wisdom as your guide: 

“Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.” (Philippians 4:8; New Living Translation.)

You are in charge of what kind of social media content streams into your mind and heart. 

Be The Boss

How many times have you bombarded your mind with updates, news, and irrelevant posts as soon as your alarm goes off and you wake up? 

This is one of the worst ways to start your day. It often leads to losing track of time, rushing out the door because you’re late, and adding unneeded stress and anxiety to your life. 

Why let social media boss you around and dictate the quality and flow of your day? Isn’t it time for you to be the boss?

Instead, consider adding screen-free activities to your morning routine, like journaling, meditating, and practicing gratitude.

When you start scrolling through social media at a time of your choosing, set a time limit on how long you spend on each app. And don’t let the virtual world replace the real world. 

Turn off Notifications

Just because you always have your phone with you doesn’t mean you must always be available. Cut yourself free from social media’s umbilical cord of relentless streams and feeds.  

Give yourself a few minutes of peace and quiet or focused, uninterrupted time to do your work or something that’s really important to you. 

Remember, social media makes its money through advertising dollars, so the apps are designed to interrupt your attention and hijack your focus to lure you to their feeds so they can generate revenue from ads.

One of the most effective ways to regain your precious time is to switch off notifications as often as is necessary during the day. Don’t let social media use you.

Be Aware

Be critical of social media and realize that most posts and reels you see are someone’s best moments; they only show you what they want you to see. They’re projecting an image or a brand; they’re not displaying their typical day-to-day life for the whole world to see.

Detox

Try this sometime today or this week: Set your phone down and be fully present in the moment. 

Look around the room, notice how the light shines through the window, and listen to the different sounds around you; be aware and fully present. 

Time yourself for sixty seconds. Breathe. Live. Soak in the sights, fragrances, and sounds of the world around you. If you’re brave enough, do this a few times a week or day to wean yourself off your addiction to social media. 

Why not trade social media time for something more constructive with your time? Do something to improve your life by acquiring a new skill, write a paragraph of the next great American novel, resurrect an old hobby, read, exercise, enjoy a stroll in the sunshine, journal, draw, paint, or play a musical instrument, and more!

Live Life!

Live with passion and unlock your best life! Laugh, be curious, explore, celebrate love, and have adventures! Grow, serve, and give back instead of mindlessly scrolling through social media, living life through someone else’s screen.

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Social media is a big part of the lives of teens today. It provides them with a sense of community and enables them to connect with people worldwide.

However, social media is not all sunshine and roses. Studies suggest that heavy social media usage is likelier to develop a negative body image, low self-esteem, and unhealthy habits.

Studies also show a link between common mental disorders like depression and anxiety and heavy use of social media. While it isn’t clear whether it’s social media use that leads to mental illness, or mental illness that leads to heavy social media use, experts generally agree that there’s a connection between the two.

Many theories attempt to explain this connection. One suggests that the social pressure of being online and available all day causes FOMO (Fear of Missing Out), which in turn leads to anxiety, a concern for any parent raising teens.

Raising Teens in the Digital Age

Every parent dreams of raising happy and
responsible adults but social media has made this a lot harder.  Nonetheless, it is still doable.

Teach your
teens good social media habits

The internet can be a dangerous place for adults, let alone teenagers. Parents should take an active role in teaching their kids how to use social media safely. Otherwise, kids learn from friends, older siblings and other influencers, whose priority is not necessarily safety.

Set
some ground rules

Setting ground rules and time limits for social media is one of the best ways of teaching teens good social media habits. However, teens should be part of this process as they’re the ones who must abide by the rules; it helps if they feel a sense of ownership.

Practice what you
preach

Kids and teens are sponges who learn best through observation. Leading by example is the best way to teach kids good social media habits. If parents spend a lot of time on social media, no number of rules or time limits can keep their kids from their phones and laptop screens.

Keep them busy

Enrolling teens
in sports and other activities that keep them busy can reduce the amount of
time they spend on social media. Moreover, physical activities can alleviate
the symptoms of anxiety and depression and keep mental
illness at bay.

Raising happy and healthy teens in the digital age is all about promoting healthy habits. Create some rules, and enroll your kids in enough activities that they’re so involved with life that they barely have time to check their social media!

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