Excessive use of social media can have a major impact on a person’s mental health, the existence of platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and others has succeeded in creating an environment that triggers the risk of stress, anxiety, and depression in its users. Among teenagers, mental health is very important in this era, especially among teenagers, the use of social media has become an integral part of everyday life.
Anxiety and stress can also be caused by interactions on social media, fear of being judged by others, reactions to uploaded content will cause significant depression. This depression is a form of prolonged stress and anxiety that appears in social media users who cannot limit themselves in using technology. However, social media is not always the main cause of this mental health problem. Many people also always compare themselves to others on social media.
Although social media has negative impacts such as addiction, becoming a victim of cyber bullying, being exposed to hoax news, and even following unimportant trends such as “velocity”. Many people are also stressed or inferior, because they compare themselves too much to others on social media.
The positive side of social media is that it makes it easier to communicate, find information, learn, and even create an online business. We can also share and care about social issues. Therefore, it is important for us to use social media very wisely. Filter the information first before believing or sharing it, and choose useful content, don’t let social media make us lose ourselves.
Writer: Angelia Effendi Putri, Student of Al-Ihya Islamic University, Kuningan
