How often do you check Facebook every day? What about Snapchat and Instagram? What about Snapchat or Instagram?

Social media is now a part of our daily lives. According to some studies, most people are active on social media platforms. They spend an average of 135 minutes per week on average. Many people are asking the question: What does social media have to do with our mental health?

These mixed results are not surprising. A few studies have shown that using social media can make you feel better about yourself and even help you be more creative. However, studies have shown that social media use can increase stress and depression.

Let’s return to the original questions to understand better the relationship between social media use and mental health. How much time do you spend scrolling through your newsfeed or looking at the pictures of your friends?

This is likely habitual behavior if you’re like most people. This is called passive social media use (PSMU). This passive social media use is a problem for mental health. PSMU has been linked to several negative outcomes, including poorer mental health, loneliness and lower satisfaction. PSMU can even lead to feelings of inferiority that could cause sadness or depression.

Ever feel jealousy when you scroll through social media? Wishing you could have all the fun things others are doing. It’s easy to compare your life with others on social media, especially your peers. You might feel better or worse depending on how fortunate or poor others are compared to yourself.

This could mean you’re more likely to feel positive than negative emotions. However, much of the content you see on social media highlights positive and desirable aspects of others’ lives. You are more likely than not to see photos of a vacation, group lunch, or engagement party. This is not a coincidence. People choose their Instagram and Facebook photos carefully to show a positive image about themselves and their lives.

If you’re not happy with your life, you should be! It is possible that you will feel irritated by the updates. Negative thoughts can make it more difficult to feel better and increase depression.

You may decide to create your own social media account to show a positive image and overcome insecurity. You might take many photos and only choose the ones you like. Your daily thoughts, feelings and opinions may be shared on social media. It can be difficult to disconnect from social media platforms, even mentally.

It can be exhausting to spend all your time on social media scrolling or curating your feed, so people believe you live an exciting life. You might miss out on real-life interaction if you place too much importance on your social media interactions. Studies have shown that social media use can lead to loneliness and isolation.

How can you stop this spiral of despair? How can you stop social media use from affecting your mental health? Let’s look at some of these strategies.