New research has found that Instagram has a negative influence on our mental health. And in other news, water’s wet.
Mental health and social media have a taut relationship, to say the least. On one side of the coin it allows people to connect, find likeminded individuals and share our best bits. On the other side, it’s an artificial curation of life that breads insecurities and comparison.
New research from #StatusofMind has had their say on the issue. Interviewing almost 1,500 people between the ages of 14 and 23, they looked into how Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube impact mental health. The research found that Instagram has the most detrimental effect, especially for young women. YouTube came out the best, with it being the only platform that was shown to positively impact mental health.
The UL’s Royal College of Psychiatrists Sir Simon Wessely reflected “I am sure that social media plays a role in unhappiness, but it has as many benefits as it does negatives…We need to teach children how to cope with all aspects of social media — good and bad — to prepare them for an increasingly digitized world. There is real danger in blaming the medium for the message.”
Here at FGRLSCLUB we try and use our Instagram account as a safe space for women, where they can find inspiration and empowerment through uplifting quotes and illustrations. We all are guilty of distorting our social to convey a sunny-side-up version of life. IRL our brunch never looks as delicious, our outfits never fall as elegantly and our faces are never as flawless. It’s important to remember that what you see when you scroll isn’t reality, and that everyone’s putting their best foot forward. Kylie Jenner doesn’t even look like Kylie Jenner.
