Trigger warning: It can sometimes be upsetting or triggering to read information about social media and mental health. Some of the information on this page may feel difficult to read or might cause strong or upsetting feelings. Please only continue reading if you feel safe to, you might want to come back to this page later on.
How can social media impact your mental health?
Using social media can help us to stay connected with others and see what’s going on in the world around us. However, being online for too long, feeling like you’re stuck or ‘doomscrolling’, experiencing cyberbullying, or seeing intense content can sometimes leave you feeling stressed and overwhelmed.
Doomscrolling is when you spend too much time reading and watching content online. This can include short form videos, other social media content, news stories, and even fun content. Often you feel caught in a loop of consuming content without being able to stop. Social media can have a big influence on how you see yourself and the world. And it can be hard to find a balance of enjoying the creativity and community that being online brings, with its more negative side.
Understanding how social media affects your mental health, in both the good ways and the bad, can help you to use social media in a way that feels fun and safe.
The positive impacts of social media
There can be lots of positive impacts of using social media, such as:
-
Connecting with others – online platforms can be a great space to connect with your friends and family and communities you are a part of.
-
Expressing yourself – from photos and videos, to writing and art, social media can be a great place to share and explore your creativity. It can also be a great place to feel inspired by others.
-
Education and work – social media can be a great place to find out more about the world around you and see what other people do when it comes to working or learning. Maybe you might want to find out more about a career or university course you are intrigued by.
-
Developing skills – social media platforms are great places to learn from other people if you are looking to develop a skill. Maybe you’ve seen lots of people crocheting their own small soft toy, clothing, or bags, learning how to do a trick on a skateboard, or learning new breathing exercises.
-
Representation and diverse voices – social media can be a great place to find community and to see a better reflection of how diverse our society is. It’s not always the case that mainstream media features diverse voices, so having this representation in the form of an online space can be so important!
-
Raising awareness – social media can be a good place to stay informed about causes you care about. It can also be a great place to make your voice heard and share your opinions through activism and campaigning. This is especially important for people who might be unable to campaign for things they are passionate about in person.
The negative impacts of social media
Whilst there can be a lot of positives to using social media, there can be a negative side too, such as:
-
Comparing yourself to others – what you see online isn’t always the full story as most people on social media only share the best parts of their life. It is quite uncommon to see the sides where they have normal days, or days where they are struggling. Because of this, social media can make us think other people have “perfect” lives, which can make you feel like yours isn’t good enough.
-
Addiction – social media can be addictive and it can feel difficult to stop using the platforms. Sometimes this is called ‘doomscrolling’, where you feel like you can’t stop scrolling, and it can make you feel overwhelmed, anxious, or numb.
-
Pressure to reply – feeling constantly connected can be draining and you might feel like you need to keep checking social media or reply to every notification when you get it. This persistent pressure might lead to anxiety and stress.
-
Upsetting or triggering content – intense news and violent content can be found online. This type of content can sometimes make you feel anxious, upset, or even unsafe.
-
Misinformation, fake content and AI – misinformation and fake content can spread quickly on social media. And with the development of AI technology, it can sometimes be difficult to know when something is real.
-
FOMO (Fear of missing out) - when your feed is filled with images and videos of your friends or celebrities seemingly living it up, it’s quite common to feel like you’re missing out, but it’s important to remember that you are only seeing a small part of their life.
-
Trouble with your sleep – spending lots of time on a screen, whether that be a phone, tablet or laptop, can make it harder to fall asleep, and have good quality sleep.
-
Echo chambers – sometimes it can feel like you only see similar content and hear voices that 'echo’ your own opinions. This can be described as an ‘echo chamber’ effect. It’s like being in a room full of people, all saying the same ideas. Algorithms can make this worse, making it difficult to see other perspectives, which can narrow your mind or reinforce harmful beliefs.
-
Cyberbullying - is when someone is bullied on social media or another online site. This might look like someone leaving nasty comments, spreading rumours, sending inappropriate messages or images, making threats, or even blackmailing you. As cyberbullying can happen outside of school times, it can sometimes feel overwhelming or like there is no escape. Read our tips below for having a good time online or find support if you need it here.
Tips for having a good time online
Take control of your social media feed
If it feels like your social media is full of people that are making you feel down about yourself, people you don’t speak to anymore, or people you don’t like, you have the power to change that.
Start by unfollowing some of the accounts that don’t make you feel great, and look for others that are fun, exciting, or talk about things that are interesting to you. It can be a liberating feeling!
Remember not everything you see online is real
It’s worth remembering that not everything you see on social media is real. That person that’s out all the time, that friend of a friend who’s always buying new things, that influencer who’s always away on holiday – they are often only showing the highlights of their life.
Celebrities, influencers, and people online also use filters and apps to change how they look, which creates a fake version of themselves. This can leave people feeling insecure about their own appearance. You might feel like you want to look like them. But it’s important to remember that it isn’t always real.
Social media only shows glimpses into people’s life, and it’s not always the full story.
Understand your self worth
Social media can have an impact on your self-esteem, so practicing different ways to become more confident and feel more positive about yourself can help.
Understanding where your negative feelings are coming from, for example comparing yourself to others on social media, can help you to question these feelings.
Remind yourself that any changes you make to your life should be for yourself.
Take regular breaks
If you’re feeling a bit overwhelmed or tired from being online, take a break. This could be to do something active, like walking or football, or get creative, like doing some drawing or writing.
Some people like to do social media free weekends, or breaks in the week, to help them balance their amount of time online. It’s okay to come off social media completely if you don’t want to be on there or uninstall the apps for a while.
Try not to feel the pressure when it comes to replies
Feeling constantly connected can be a difficult feeling. Whether you are struggling with feeling like you have to reply to a message as soon as it pops up or are overwhelmed by stacked up notifications, remind yourself that you can reply in your own time when it’s good for you. It can be helpful to use ‘do not disturb’ settings or turn off app notifications.
Be kind online
Choosing to be kind online is really important. A positive comment or message could really make someone’s day, just as much as a negative one could affect someone's mental health. Being positive online will also encourage other people to do the same!
Find support
Social media platforms and the online world can be an overwhelming place. If you’re struggling to find support, or feel like there isn’t someone to talk to, there are other ways you can get support and advice.
Healthy and unhealthy relationships
A relationship is something that should make you feel happy and respected. You can have many different types of relationships, such as a romantic one, one in your family, or a friendship.
What is anxiety?
It is very normal to feel anxious sometimes - everyone does - and you shouldn’t ever be embarrassed to talk about it. Here we look at some of the reasons why it happens, as well as some tips and advice to combat it.
Looking after yourself
Self-care is a bit of a buzzword in today’s world, but what does it actually mean, and how do you find out what works for you?
All of the information on this page was created with practising health professionals. This page was reviewed in April 2025. We will next review the page in 2028.