Social Media A Cause Of Depression?

It’s obvious many are hooked on social media, and this trend is not going away anytime soon. Social media can be extremely beneficial in many ways, but where do you draw the line? What is it doing to our mental health?

- Professor Dr Philip George

• Overuse of social media can cause narcissistic tendencies in teens and anti-social behaviour in young adults. Studies found that excessive daily use of Facebook can make people more prone to depression, anxiety and other psychological disorders.

• Research finds that the more friends one has on Facebook, the less socially adjusted he or she is. Their social skills were poorer than those who had less Facebook friends.

• Facebook and other social media networks can have a negative impact on learning. Studies conducted on students from middle school through college revealed that frequent usage of social media results in lower grades.

The golden rule of moderation is one to be always kept in mind.

In 1998, Robert Kraut, a researcher at Carnegie Mellon University, found that the more people use the Web, the lonelier and more depressed they feel. Their sense of happiness and social connectedness dropped.

One experiment concluded that Facebook could cause problems in relationships, by increasing feelings of jealousy.

According to another group of researchers, envy increases with Facebook usage: the more time people spent browsing the site, as opposed to actively creating content and engaging with it, the more envious they felt.