By Nathan Grant ’16, News Section Editor

Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat. We are all familiar with these social media platforms, but are we aware of their negative effects on our health? Social media sites come with both advantages and disadvantages. With social media, we can feel instantly connected to our friends and family. We can communicate not only with people in other countries, but also with friends that we may not have spoken to in years. We can also witness others’ vacations, birthdays, and weddings as well as share posts relating to our lives.

It’s no challenge listing the plethora of pros social media has to offer. Although social media sites have many advantages, recent studies have been conducted linking depression, envy, insecurity, and poor self-esteem to social media.

In the past decade, media use among teenagers and young adults has increased by twenty percent, and multitasking, or the access of two or more forms of social media, has increased by more than 119 percent. In a research study at Michigan State University, Dr. Mark Becker found a “70 percent increase in depressive symptoms between the group with the lowest level of multitasking and the group with the highest.” In terms of social anxiety, Dr. Becker found a 42 percent increase. Not only does social media affect teenagers, but it also affects adults. A recent survey of 7,000 mothers by the Today Show found that 42 percent of mothers using Pinterest reported to have occasionally suffered from “Pinterest Stress.”

Pinterest Stress, Facebook Depression, Twitter Anxiety. Though they sound bizarre and strange, these terms are quickly becoming medical diagnoses as more and more people use social media. This leads to the next question: How exactly does social media cause stress and depression?

While scrolling through Facebook posts and Twitter feeds, you may see numerous pictures of friends at parties, cousins on vacation, actors celebrating their new-found success at Hollywood. Why, aren’t you lucky? Social media provides an infinite, perpetual 24/7 alert of “news.” Some people can become addicted to social media. They may feel like they have to see the new post by their favorite actor or best friend. They have to know what’s going on in the world. And why? Because social media often influences our image of what is cool, fun, and in style. This social media “image” can result in anxiety as people often strive to receive more Instagram likes and Twitter followers. Furthermore, social media sites can cause stress as people try to adopt an unrealistic, often unachievable, perception of perfection as seen by celebrities on Facebook and Pinterest boards. The stress from trying to achieve a perfect career, a perfect family—a perfect everything!—can lead to a constant, harmful release of the stress hormone cortisol, which can cause damage to the gastrointestinal tract, lead to an immune-inflammatory response in the body and brain, and can result in depression and anxiety. Not good. These symptoms are worse if one already has stress from school and work.

I’m not saying we should stop using social media altogether. After all, social media sites can be fun and interesting. However, we should limit our use of social media, especially when we find ourselves spending two or more hours a day on social networking sites. If we limit our social media use, we will have more time to complete our responsibilities and enjoy the moments we have with friends and family. But how do we balance our relationships with people on screen and in person? Here are some tips:

1. Ask yourself: Why am I using this social media site? Is it to build relationships? Connect with old friends? Once you know why you intend on using social media, you can set realistic goals so you don’t spend hours scrolling through posts. This question is especially useful when you find yourself addicted to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, you name it.
2. Do you spend more time reading others’ posts than posting yourself? If yes, your use of social media may be a little excessive and unhealthy – and you may want to limit it.
3. Do you often feel jealous or upset when you see others’ posts? If so, try spending less time on social media and more time with friends in person. However, sometimes you may have a busy schedule and you may not have time to hang out with friends. What do you do then? Try communicating with your friends through text, Facebook, or Snapchat. This will allow you to have a more personal connection with friends when you are unable to see them in person.
4. Make a schedule. Ensure that you finish your homework first, then spend time with friends and family, and then use social media. By making a schedule, you can complete your responsibilities and find more time to be with friends and family.
5. Always respect your opinions and be yourself. No one can dictate who you are and what you can and cannot do.

So remember: social media can be fun, but there are other ways to connect with friends and family.