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Which Social Media Is the Worst for Your Mental Health

A study by The Royal Society for Public Health has named Instagram as the worst social media site for mental. It was also followed by SnapChat.

It seems that the highly visual nature of Instagram and SnapChat may be contributing to the increased rate of depression amongst the 14-24-year-olds that the survey followed. Using Instagram seems to lead to an increase in poor body perception, as well as anxiety and trouble sleeping. FOMO, fear of missing out on social events also contributed to mental health problems as viewed on social media.

Twitter and Facebook were also on the list as people get depressed by looking at the “fabulous” lives of their peers. Overall, it seems that social media is an addictive behavior, and the more social media apps a person uses, the higher the risk of feeling anxious or depressed.

But not all social media is bad for mental health. It seems that YouTube actually helps people to access information about mental health. YouTubers talking about their own mental health issues and coping mechanisms can actually be beneficial.

The study also offered help for ways to combat the mental health issues that arise from social media, including usage warnings, classes at schools, and other support systems. Instagram has already taken steps toward efforts in improving awareness by offering a flag system that can help to direct users toward mental health services. There were also suggestions that the sites advise when images have been digitally altered in any way to show viewers that not everything is at it seems.

And on the flipside of things, social media was found to help contribute to self-expression, self-identity, community building, and emotional support.

It seems that as social media use continues to grow, there are more things to take into consideration.

[Image via Shutterstock]

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