Social Media & Anxiety

Posted October 15, 2021

On October 5th, former Facebook product manager Frances Haugen testified at a Congressional hearing about several company practices that she found troubling, including a discussion of internal research that suggested that use of the Facebook subsidiary Instagram has a negative impact on adolescents.

According to the New York Times, “One of the key documents surfaced by Ms. Haugen showed that Facebook researchers who studied teenagers over the past three years found that Instagram could damage their mental health and body image, especially among girls. The document stated that Instagram exacerbated body image issues for teen girls already experiencing those feelings.”

The effects of social media on adolescents has been a point of focus for some time, particularly any negative effects. When it comes to anxiety, the prevailing narrative is that social media worsens symptoms. However, a recent study titled How Adolescents Use Social Media to Cope with Feelings of Loneliness and Anxiety During COVID-19 Lockdown found that “social media can be used as a constructive coping strategy for adolescents to deal with anxious feelings during the COVID-19 quarantine.”

So, what’s the reality when it comes to social media? Is it a terrible space wherein adolescents’ negative feelings are worsened, or is it a helpful coping tool?

It seems like the answer may be “both,” or rather, “sometimes one, sometimes the other.” Like so many aspects of our lives, social media is both complex and complicated. It can be both a boon, offering opportunities to connect to others and learn new things, and it can be detrimental, giving us access to the wrong kind of information or attention.

One fact about social media remains: it’s not going anywhere. Which means that, when it comes to adolescents who are still learning how to navigate the world and the information in it, it’s important to take a balanced approach.

If you are a parent, a guardian, or anyone who has a relationship with an adolescent, check in with them about their social media use including if they have any concerns or have had any negative experiences. These can be opportunities to help them understand different aspects of how the world functions.

Just as importantly, check in with them about their anxiety and how they are feeling in general. Maintaining a dialogue around mental health with the adolescents in your life will let them know it’s natural to have many different kinds of feelings and that it’s okay to ask for help when things don’t feel right.