The Impact of Social Media on the Mental Health of College Students
By Jackson Stone
Social media has become a necessary part of modern college life, offering platforms for communication, networking, and self-expression. However, alongside its benefits, social media also raises concerns about its impact on mental health, particularly among college students. It is a man-made gift that has been made that can be used to reach many people around the world at a rapid pace. Social media is also a hot topic on the good and the bad that it can bring. This essay explores the multifaceted relationship between social media usage and the mental well-being of college students, examining both positive and negative effects while considering the underlying mechanisms and potential interventions.
Exploring the multi-level relationship between social media and mental health among college students necessitates an examination of both the potential benefits and pitfalls in digital connectivity. While social media platforms afford opportunities for social support, community building, and resource sharing, they also are triggers for anxiety, depression, and feelings of inadequacy. They lead to comparison, amplified by the carefully constructed lives of others showcased on these platforms, can breed a culture of self-comparison and increase unrealistic standards of success and happiness.
The Positive Impacts of Social Media on College Students’ Mental Health
Social media platforms provide college students with opportunities for social connection, emotional support, and self-expression. These platforms can facilitate the formation of supportive communities, enabling students to connect with peers who share similar interests, experiences, and challenges. For instance, online support groups and forums offer spaces where students can seek advice, share experiences, and receive emotional support, which can contribute to a sense of belonging and reduce feelings of isolation. Social media allows college students to maintain relationships with friends and family members, regardless of geographical distance. Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat enable users to share updates about their lives, exchange messages and engage in real-time communication, cultivating feelings of closeness and connectedness. For college students who may be living away from home for the first time, social media can serve as a lifeline to their support networks, providing comfort and reassurance during times of stress or homesickness.
In the past two years, I have had a chance to work among many different kids and adults at many different church camps. There’s one in particular that really caught my attention the first year, and that I have grown to love tremendously. The day is on Thursday and the camp Director, who is trusted by many of the kids and looked up to by many of them, will invite the whole camp to share uplifting thoughts, messages, and/or posts that can hopefully bless someone. It is remarkable to see how many lives were touched and changed due to some of the posts that are made through the social media platforms. To add, it is not something that just happens in one certain area, these scams happen all around the world, and they do the same exact thing that we do at my campus. All of these uplifting quotes and posts are going all around the world and blessing many lives.
The gift that we have today, so called social media, is something that has saved many people. It has such a positive impact on others if you allow it to and obviously there are always two sides to every story. Social media can be used for good and the bad. One of my close friends, I recently asked him about his opinion on social media and he stated the following, “Social media has blessed my life in many ways and it is something that he stands by fully.”- Kobe Blackwell. He explained that he was in a darker place and was struggling mentally. He said “I got on my phone and opened an app that I did not use a whole lot and stumbled across a video that really had a huge impact on me”. He told me emotionally how much the quote and the video meant to him and changed his perspective and outlook on many things especially in his life. He since has been a different person because of this experience. It is stories and lives blessed like previously shared, that gives me a clear view, and valid evidence that social media does have positive benefits. Due to hearing this experience, with having such a strong positive impact on him, it made me question whether social media is really more positive or negative. What strikes the concern and grows my curiosity is just how many people have been blessed by something just like my friend and how many souls have been saved thanks to social media.
Social media platforms offer opportunities for self-expression and creative outlets. Many college students use platforms like YouTube, TikTok, and blogging sites to showcase their talents, share their thoughts and experiences and express their identity. Engaging in creative pursuits and receiving positive feedback from peers can enhance self-esteem and feelings of accomplishment, contributing to overall psychological well-being.
The Negative Impacts of Social Media on College Students’ Mental Health
Despite its benefits, social media use has been associated with various negative effects on the mental health of college students. Excessive use of social media has been linked to increased feelings of loneliness, anxiety and depression. The constant exposure to curated images and idealized lifestyles on platforms like Instagram can lead to social comparison and feelings of inadequacy, as students may perceive their own lives as less glamorous or fulfilling in comparison to the carefully curated posts of their peers. Us as college students are still in a faze of life where we are easily molded and shaped from our experiences and the circumstances around us. With the need for validation from our peers we must still be mindful of the fact that we will not be the same or fit in with everyone.
Social media can exacerbate feelings of FOMO (fear of missing out), as students may feel pressured to constantly stay connected and engaged in order to avoid feeling left out or disconnected from their social circles. This fear of missing out can contribute to heightened anxiety and stress, as students may feel compelled to constantly check their notifications, respond to messages, and stay up-to-date with the latest trends and events.
Idleness, being in the state of being comfortable with the place you are in, not moving forward so to speak. This word is powerful, becoming idle can create problems, as in comparison, depression, and screen time may very well increase. Speaking from experience, when there is no forward progress and we become idle, we tend to scroll and see what we are missing out on and groups that we are not a part of. As discussed, this can cause the fear of missing out and possibly lead to depression. Also to add, productive days can go down tremendously, and we are not being ourselves. Social media is something that is intended for good, but does it actually cause more harm than good? Much comparison can be made, and this can cause addiction to become someone who you are not, be places where we should not be, and do things that are unusual for our normal self. To add, the way that social media is made, and set up, it wants to addict someone. It is a trap that keeps the user on it and reels them in, because of the way it is set up and easily accessible. All social media platforms are almost identical in the way they are used, this is evidence that it is a trap and it is working on everyone at a rapid pace. Social media platforms can be breeding grounds for cyberbullying and harassment, which can have serious consequences for the mental health and well-being of college students. The perceived distance afforded by online interactions may embolden individuals to engage in harmful behavior towards others, leading to feelings of shame, embarrassment, and isolation among victims. The 24/7 accessibility of social media means that students may be subjected to cyberbullying at any time, with few opportunities for escape or reprieve.
This relatively short Ted-Talk by Dr. Cal Newport. He highlights the many negative effects of social media and a compelling argument on why and no one should use these platforms. We might think it’s necessary to have social media to stay up to date on news and our friends lives but, Dr. Newport makes a firm stance that these feelings are illusions and social media is actively working against our progression.
The Mechanisms Underlying the Relationship Between Social Media Use and Mental Health
Several mechanisms have been proposed to explain the relationship between social media use and mental health outcomes among college students. One such mechanism is the impact of social comparison on self-esteem and psychological well-being. When college students compare themselves to their peers on social media, they may perceive differences between their own lives and the idealized lives presented online, leading to feelings of inadequacy and low self-worth.
The addictive nature of social media platforms can contribute to excessive and compulsive use, leading to neglect of real-life responsibilities, sleep disturbances, and impaired academic performance. Sleep is the best medicine. Without duration and quality of sleep all aspects of our life will be diminished. We can infer that to be a healthy, happy and successful student one must acknowledge the effects and combat them. The constant need for validation and social approval inherent in social media use may reinforce maladaptive coping strategies, such as seeking validation through likes, comments and followers, rather than developing healthy self-esteem and interpersonal relationships.
The addictive nature of these platforms lies in their ability to tap into fundamental human desires for connection, validation, and stimulation. With each notification serving as a dopamine hit, users find themselves entrapped in a cycle of compulsive checking and scrolling, often unaware of the passage of time. The gamification of social interactions, manifested through likes, comments, and shares, further fuels the addictive allure, as individuals seek to optimize their online presence and garner social validation. This addictive cycle can disrupt sleep patterns, impair concentration, and exacerbate feelings of anxiety and FOMO (fear of missing out), ultimately encroaching upon academic performance and overall well-being.
The pervasive nature of social media means that college students are often exposed to distressing or triggering content, such as news stories, images or posts related to violence, trauma or discrimination. This exposure to negative content can contribute to feelings of anxiety, helplessness and desensitization, particularly among students who are already vulnerable due to pre-existing mental health issues or trauma histories. One cannot control a lot of the content that is consumed. While there are algorithms to help funnel the content that one is interested in, there is no perfect solution to really limit or contain the content that is seen.
Interventions to combat the Negative Effects of Social Media on College Students’ Mental Health
Despite the challenges posed by social media, there are several strategies that college students can use to combat its negative effects on their mental health. First and foremost, fostering digital literacy and critical thinking skills can help students become more discerning consumers of online content, enabling them to recognize and challenge unrealistic portrayals, misinformation, and harmful narratives portrayed on social media platforms.
Establishing healthy boundaries and self-regulation practices around social media use can help students maintain a balanced approach to technology usage. Setting limits on screen time, taking regular breaks from social media, and prioritizing face-to-face interactions can promote mindfulness and reduce the risk of negative mental health outcomes associated with excessive social media use.
Cultivating a supportive offline social network can provide college students with alternative sources of social support and validation, reducing their reliance on social media for emotional gratification. Engaging in extracurricular activities, joining campus clubs or organizations, and seeking counseling or therapy services can help students build meaningful connections and coping skills outside of the digital world. Our campus is blessed to have counselors that are available for all students at SVU.
Social media is a great thing, but it also can lead to harm. It is something that needs to be watched over carefully. Appropriate goals should be made to limit the usage of it. The church that I am part of, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, usually holds a seven day social media fast and this is something that is crucial in today’s world. It is a great week that we can step away from all social media platforms and see the blessings that come from being off the phone. This allows us to really see what is around us more, meet new people, and seek more service opportunities for people that need us the most. Oftentimes if you notice a lot of people have their phones glued to them and a lot of their attention is drawn to the phone, when we step away from the phone, it is truly amazing the good that can be seen and done. When we are not caught up on what is happening in the world, recent post, things of the world, we can have much more productive days and get more things accomplished. Also, they benefit from social media fast as we will start noticing much self improvement, and a stronger ability to focus on our lives.
Social media plays a complex role in shaping the mental health and well-being of college students, offering both opportunities for social connection and self-expression, as well as challenges related to social comparison, cyberbullying, and addictive behavior. By understanding the mechanisms underlying the relationship between social media use and mental health outcomes, and implementing strategies to promote digital literacy, healthy boundaries, and offline social support, college students can navigate the digital world more effectively and cultivate resilience in the face of online challenges. Ultimately, a balanced approach to social media usage is essential for safeguarding the mental health and well-being of college students in an increasingly digital world.
Participating in a social media fast and cultivating healthy habits around its usage can significantly enhance individual well-being and mental health. By taking periodic breaks from social media, we can reclaim our time, focus on real-life connections, and reduce feelings of anxiety and comparison. Establishing mindful consumption patterns fosters a healthier relationship with technology, promoting balance and improved self-esteem. Using these practices regularly empowers individuals to prioritize authentic experiences, cultivate meaningful relationships, and ultimately lead more fulfilling lives both online and offline.
Though I personally don’t think social media is completely avoidable and can offer many different outlets for consumers and creators alike, there is a healthy balance that needs to be found. We must remind ourselves that what we see is not always the truth and is more often than not, a skewed view of reality that is portrayed by most users. The more time we spend creating strong social connections offline the more we will nor rely on the false reality of social media. We must remind ourselves of the simple beauties in life that cannot be consumed through technology and social media. Make time for yourself to disconnect and spend time the “old fashioned” way. You’ll be surprised what you are missing out on.
