SOCIAL MEDIA NEGATIVELY
AFFECTING MENTAL HEALTH
An article from deccanherald.com discusses the psychological affects social media may have on youths, with examples from India. They reference Dr. Roma Kumar a Child and Adolescent Psychologist at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital who stated:
“…with celebrities posting on Facebook and tweeting 24x7, youths have become more "misguided into this ‘like-comment-share’ and 'instant reaction’ culture, where many times people become upset if their friends do not like a post or a picture.”
This causes younger users to become reliant upon instant gratification and social approval more than those who don’t use social media.
It also causes “relationship breakdowns” as many teens dating online deal with more harassment. It’s easier to attack someone emotionally when you don’t have to do it to their face, especially since there is a lower risk of being caught for it. Police have been able to help some cases of internet harassment, but not all, as there is no structured way to police the internet. Senior Consultant Psychiatrist Dr Sandeep Vohra from Indraprastha Apollo Hospital’s Psychiatric Division gave this example:
"A 17- year-old girl came to us after she was harassed by her ex- boyfriend over Facebook. So much so that the girl’s family had to file a police complaint against the boy, who has become obsessed with her.”
Even with social media sites like Facebook where users are expected to give names and pictures and other information, users can be anyone and say nearly anything. This shield of anonymity gives online bullies free rein.
The article also mentions how social media affects our self-love:
“[Vohra mentions:] Constant bombardment of images on social media, peer pressure and 'selfie-culture’ has engendered this narcissistic behaviour that borders on psychological disorders…"
In this article, and many others, a possible solution seems once again to be education:
…[T]he only way forward is to educate the youth when they are in school. “Just like we do it for cigarettes and alcohol use, I think there should be an education and counselling programme in schools for social media too. Since, we are living in a digital era, we cannot say we should divorce ourselves from social media, but we can learn to adapt it the right way.”
http://www.deccanherald.com/content/574961/social-media-affecting-mental-well.html