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- A recent survey has identified Instagram as the worst social media for mental health and well-being.
- The photo-based platform has been linked with high levels of depression, anxiety, bullying as well as fear of missing out.
Instagram, a photo-based platform that allows users to share their photos and videos, has been identified as the worst social media for mental health and well-being, based on a survey of 1,500 teens and young adults.
According to the survey called #StatusOfMind, Instagram has been linked with issues like high levels of depression, anxiety, bullying as well as FOMO or “fear of missing out”.
Study authors believe that social media posts can set unrealistic expectations and cause feelings of inadequacy and low self-esteem. Instagram, which features personal photos that can be edited and filtered in order to look ‘perfect’, got the worst scores for anxiety and body image.
“Instagram easily makes girls and women feel as if their bodies aren’t good enough as people add filters and edit their pictures in order for them to look ‘perfect’,” a survey respondent said.
Researches in the past have suggested that young people who use social media sites more than two hours a day are more likely to have psychological distress.
The report said:“Seeing friends constantly on holiday or enjoying nights out can make young people feel like they are missing out while others enjoy life,” the #StatusOfMind report states.”
“These feelings can promote a ‘compare and despair’ attitude,” the report added.
Other studies also suggested that young adults who use more social networks are more likely to report depression or anxiety.
United Kingdom’s Royal Society for Public Health is urging social media companies to introduce a pop-up “heavy usage” warnings and highlight when photos of people have been digitally edited in order to help users possibly suffering from mental health problems.
