Abstract: What motivated me to write this Op-Ed was my passion for mental health awareness. I’ve noticed that mental health is a topic that is discussed too infrequently in our generation. The most harmful thing that is used everyday by our generation is social media. I was inspired to delete social media by a friend I’ve met in high school, and ever since then, I always stuck with that idea after learning the benefits it could bring to one’s life. My Op-Ed aims to highlight the negative effects of social media, not just with competition and self-esteem, but also the connection between excessive screen time and mental health disorders.

How to Enhance Your Quality of Life with One Simple Step

            You are awakened by the sound of your alarm after a good night’s sleep, met by the warm rays of the sun. It is the start of a good sunny day, but without thinking, you reach for your phone and open social media. At this moment, you could have gotten out of your bed and brushed your teeth and even prepared a nice breakfast to start the day. Instead, you have been sucked into this cycle of endless scrolling, completely losing track of all time. What felt like ten minutes turns into an hour. Social media is a nice tool to connect people, but the cons outweigh the pros due to its detrimental effects towards mental health, productivity, and real-life relationships. By deleting social media or even reducing your use of it can bring a lot of benefits to your everyday life.

            What is the first thing you see when you open a social media app? Let us use Instagram for this example. You open the app, and you are greeted with pictures of smiles from your friends, someone you have met from a trip, or even someone you do not even know at all. Party out all night and have the best night of their lives. Acceptances to top universities or landing their dream job. What am I doing with my life? This is how social media takes a toll on your mental health. When misused, consumers of social media could start to compare themselves negatively which is linked with depression. (Samra et al., 2022). Twitter, on the other hand, may not have this problem as it is more of a news source. However, like all social media apps, it is designed to have you hooked on the app. Many argue that this type of social media is good for you because you could “stay informed”. However, constant consumption of negative news and information overload only hurts your overall mental health by taking your time away from things you could enjoy in real life. This is linked to feelings of social isolation, as well as depression. (Harvard Health Publishing, n.d.). Quitting social media has been found to have brought many positive effects on an individual’s day-to-day life. Shanaia Mohamed, a first-year student at the New York City College of Technology, was a former social media addict. She spoke to me about her journey on quitting social media. When asked what she does now after quitting social media, she says “I talk to the people around me, pack my room, organize my life, and actually go outside.” She also reports feeling more present in day-to-day life and in real life interactions.

            It is important to note that all social media platforms are meant to keep you hooked. This could be seen on TikTok, especially. No one opens social media with the intention of spending so much time on it. A remarkably simple tactic social media platforms use is scrolling. This can be seen on popular platform TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts. It is composed of short videos that are perfect for those who are looking for quick entertainment. Little do you know, you end up in this endless cycle of scrolling. At this point, the user is likely to have already developed a habit of going on the app just to scroll for a long time. It is averaged that a person would spend two hours on social media each day. (Pellegrino et al., 2022). What other things could these two hours be spent on instead? The next time you pick up your phone to access social media, ask yourself this: Do I really want to spend my time in this endless cycle of scrolling? Time on social media could be exchanged for time with nature, calling up a friend, learning a recipe, or practicing mindfulness. FOMO, which stands for fear of missing out, is also linked with this and is the main reason users may find it hard to quit. As a result, users are likely to experience feelings of depression, interrupted sleep, and symptoms even as far as eating disorders due to frequent use and reliance on social media platforms. (Alutaybi et al., 2020).

            By quitting social media, individuals can gain more time on daily activities such as hobbies, exercise, and engaging in conversations with friends and family. Social media being a part of your daily routine is not necessarily beneficial, as it takes away all the time that could have been spent doing other productive activities. As you quit social media, you would find that you are more present in the moment and learn more things about yourself as you explore the world without a screen. Studies have also shown positive effects of improved sleep and more creative imagination. (Degges-White, 2022) Quitting social media would allow you to form your own ideas, as your thoughts will not be constantly influenced by the biases you consume from social media. When asked what she would say to someone who is hesitant on quitting social media, Shanaia Mohamed responded, “Remind yourself about all the endless benefits that quitting social media brings to life. It is up to you at the end of the day. But remember, you are doing it for the sake of your own mental health.” She also suggests there are many other ways to stay connected with friends without social media, including FaceTime, texting, and calling. By quitting or reducing the use of social media, individuals would be able to live life fully in the present. 

            True connection happens in the real world, and not behind a screen and a digital profile. Next time you choose to open your social media apps, consider the consequences that follow and the steps you could take to enhance your quality of life. This could be getting rid of it completely, limiting your time from it, or just taking a short break. By doing those, you will gain the ability to truly connect with yourself and the world once again.