What is the danger of social media addiction and how to avoid it? Advice and recommendations from psychologists.
A modern person rarely imagines his life without a computer and the Internet. Yes, such advanced inventions really help us in life - it is much easier to search for information and work with it, everything is always available. But such “gifts of civilization” are also fraught with many dangers, literally dragging ordinary people “into the net.”
It would seem that what is wrong if a person creates his own profile on a social network? So he can quickly and without any problems find long-lost classmates or classmates, share news with them, see who lives how, and sometimes find a job or part-time job... But is virtual communication able to fully replace the real one, face to face? eye? And can you call all those thousands of “friends” and subscribers that you have in your contacts, on Facebook, classmates or on Twitter, friends? Obviously, this question is not as simple as it seems.
Nowadays, only two-day-old babies don’t have pages on social networks (and then, most likely, because their mother was “not up to it” in the maternity hospital) or hundred-year-old people (they still remember what communication really is). Everyone else checks in regularly, using this opportunity in any open Wi-Fi, and sits for hours looking at new photos and statuses of “friends.” Here, this Lyubka from a parallel class, with whom we communicated in real life only twice, accidentally sat down at the same table in the dining room. So, look, she bought herself a Ferrari... And Tanya, from my year at university, got married and gave triplets to her husband! But the most “joyful” thing is this Lilka, the second cousin of my grandmother’s neighbor, look, she posted a photo of her and a dark-skinned macho sunbathing in Bali! No, well, not an infection, eh?
And here I am, all good and wonderful, living alone with a cat in a shabby communal apartment and getting to my work at the housing office by tram... But they all don’t need to know about it. So, friend, take a photo of me next to this Lexus, yes, which is parked on the side of the road - so what, let them think that it’s mine. I’ll also beg my sister for a prom dress and take a picture in it against the backdrop of a waterfall in the botanical garden - why wouldn’t you like an overseas vacation?
What do such “exercises” on social networks give us and why do we do it? To increase self-esteem? Affirmations of self-worth and importance? Out of a desire to appear better than you really are? Or is it because of the nagging feeling of loneliness in a crowd of people? Let's figure it out.
Dependency Types
Each of us has a need for something. An example of this would be the desire to take a sip of water.
Some types of addiction are vital for us. So, we cannot exist, create and breathe without food. However, some people become addicted to various tasty treats, fruits or vegetables. At the same time, having opened the refrigerator, a person is not able to refuse a piece of his favorite delicacy. It beckons him and attracts him to itself, becoming an essential item.
A person can also become addicted to new things. This category of buyers is called shopaholics. These people fill their closets with various rags, which sometimes they do not need at all. However, after the next purchase, shopaholics’ souls become much easier.
There are also some types of addiction to your hobby. This happens when a harmless hobby develops into fanaticism. This happens to those who collect stamps and to those who cannot imagine their life without computer games. Such people are simply not aware of their own actions. They become like zombies. The classification of computer-type addictions includes in its list constant presence on social networks.
There are people who are literally obsessed with their feelings. It seems to them that breaking off relations with the object of their adoration will lead to life chaos. This is love addiction.
Recently, young people have become interested in extreme sports. They also create a certain dependence.
Religious fanaticism poses a danger to the peaceful existence of society. This is a type of addiction when a person acts contrary to common sense, without recognizing any other ideologies. Dependence on a chosen idol is close to religious fanaticism.
Sometimes a person cannot exist without smoking, alcohol or drugs. These are very dangerous forms of addiction. For the sake of a dose, such people are capable of any action.
In the modern world, people's dependence on money is considered quite common. Of course, this is not bad, but often the desire to achieve financial well-being goes beyond all existing boundaries. Money becomes the main subject in life. Everything else just fades into the background.
Thus, human addictions are different. Sometimes people simply don't realize they have a problem.
Methods for treating addiction at home
If you decide to learn to control yourself as an addict, then you should not try to “pull yourself together.” The phrase “that’s it, starting from Monday I’m using VKontakte less!” will lead to nothing.
The whole point is that a person is not able to control himself in the area of addiction. There is a failure in this department of self-control, which leads to addiction. For some it is social networks, for others it is food, for others it is alcohol.
We need to take a workaround.
Realize the reason
The main cause of any addiction is stress. The brain looks for bottlenecks in self-control and, during a stressful situation, plugs this feeling with an external manifestation of dependence.
If we talk about the Internet, we are very afraid of missing something interesting. Remain in the dark. Therefore, we constantly update the feed to stay informed.
Some people are very inclined to evaluate themselves through the opinions of others. It is very important for them that netizens positively evaluate their photo or post. For such people, being left without likes is a serious stress.
And some are so afraid of failure in an important matter that they constantly put it off until later, while sitting on social networks. This is called procrastination.
There are many reasons for stress. Not just those listed above. If you understand what causes fear or stress, you can fight the cause of the addiction, rather than its external manifestation.
Get rid of toxic shame
Toxic shame is a term from psychology. Its essence is that the brain, instead of adequately assessing its behavior, takes the feeling of shame to the point of absurdity. In this case, the ability to reason sensibly is blocked.
For example, a person has clearly been sitting too long at a slot machine. But instead of feeling the usual feeling of shame and stopping, he tells himself: “I am incurable! I'm the worst person in the world."
Or the girl is scolded by her boss. Instead of understanding the reasons for which she is being reprimanded, she wants to “sink into the ground” and “burn with shame.”
It is popular among Internet addicts to consider themselves “hopelessly spoiled, degraded people.” This feeling saves a person from self-digging and puts him in a state of stress, which only strengthens the addiction.
Try to avoid biased assessments of your behavior. Instead, think about it, what am I doing now? Look at the situation from the outside, what is happening to me, what should I do in this situation?
Support the dopamine system
Dopamine is a pleasure hormone. It is produced when we do something that we consider useful for ourselves.
This hormone helps relieve stress. It is also produced when we sit on social networks, encouraging this activity. Therefore, we need to “interrupt” the dopamine from social networks with something stronger.
Play sports, go to the movies, meet friends, cook delicious food.
Psychologists also advise to engage in creativity. Drawing, playing musical instruments, wood carving, etc. When you reduce the influence of addiction, creativity will help you maintain the results.
Go online with a clear purpose
Before you pick up your smartphone or turn on your computer, decide what you want to do? Read the news, watch a video, write a message to a friend? When you have a goal, it’s easy for you to fulfill this goal and leave the Internet.
It is much more difficult to control yourself when you yourself do not know why you turned on the computer. If there is no goal, then it is not clear when to stop.
Use the “Today Only” Technique
You should not make promises to yourself “to change your life”, “to finally stop surfing this Internet”, etc. As mentioned above, such statements lead to stress, and it causes addiction.
Instead, just try spending the evening without social media and going to bed early.
Social media
They have firmly entered our lives. What are social networks? This is a certain collection of sites on the Internet through which communication between people from all over the world is organized. It occurs by discussing a problem, exchanging photos, audio and video.
Is there an addiction to social networks? Or is this just an opportunity to constantly expand your circle of acquaintances? No definite answer has yet been received. Opinions on this matter are polar. However, the majority is still inclined to believe that this problem is an addiction.
Social networks for humans are an entire virtual world in which the problems of modern society are reflected. Visiting all kinds of sites has its positive sides. These include communication with family and friends located far away, correspondence with friends with similar interests, exchange of information and job search. However, prolonged use of such resources separates a person from the real world, causing damage to his life. This could mean social media addiction, which is classified as a disease.
Research results
As part of this work, I conducted a study through a survey, the purpose of which was to assess the degree of influence of social networks on teenagers in our school. 53 students in grades 5-11 took part in the survey.
I asked the teenagers to answer the survey as honestly as possible. I processed all the students’ answers and reflected them in diagrams. Here are the results of our research:
- To the question “Are you registered on social networks?” 48 people answered positively, and only 5 – negatively, which in percentage terms is 91% and 9%, respectively.
- What social networks do you use? (many are registered in several at once).
The results indicate that VKontakte has rightfully become a truly youth social network. If we talk about Odnoklassniki, their popularity in this group is not very high, because The main target group of this network is older people.
Other social networks are not popular due to the lack of a client base, i.e. the user will be there alone, or the network is little known and is not interesting to the user in terms of its structure and content.
- Is your photo on your account avatar?
The answer “Yes” was given by 38 respondents, the answer “No” was given by 10.
4. Do you provide truthful information in your information about yourself, without exaggerating anything?
The answer “Yes” was given by 40 respondents, the answer “No” was given by 8.
Most users have their own photo loaded on their avatar and personal information about themselves is truthful - this indicates trust and acceptance of the norms and rules of online communication, because if a person’s online communication is within the normal limits, he does not hide information about himself and his own photo.
5. How often do you use social networks?
The majority of respondents (40 people) access social networks daily, 6 respondents said that they visit their pages on social networks 2-3 times a week.
This suggests that there is some kind of dependence. In addition, according to data on time spent on social networks in one session, it is clear that most teenagers are there for more than 2 hours.
6. For what purpose do you use social networks?
The chart shows that teenagers are increasingly using social networks as a means of communication.
7. Who do you invite to be your friends?
Based on the answers received to this question, it is clear that teenagers at our school prefer to invite friends and accept invitations from real friends and acquaintances. 36 respondents do this. The results obtained indicate stable social connections and communication preferences of survey participants.
8. How many people are on your “friends” list?
The number of friends in a social network obviously indicates the level of cohesion of social ties. The data indicates the following - most users have at least 200 friends, which indicates a somewhat mirror reflection of the number of average connections in society and online.
9. Do you agree that frequent use of social networks can cause detachment and complexes in a teenager?
Slightly more than half of the respondents (29 people) disagree with this statement. It follows that these teenagers use social networks within acceptable limits and volumes, without fanaticism.
10. Do you agree that social networks are addictive?
34 out of 53 people believe that social networks are addictive, which means that teenagers are aware of the negative effects of using social networks.
11. Are you ready to give up using social networks under the threat of deteriorating health (deterioration of vision, jet lag, scoliosis) or a decrease in educational performance?
The survey results show that 14 people are ready to refuse, 25 are partially ready, and 9 people are not ready. From this we can conclude that those teenagers who, even under the threat of deteriorating health, cannot refuse to use social networks, have become dependent on the virtual world.
As a result of the survey, I received all the necessary information on which it became possible to conduct research.
When analyzing the research results, the dual nature of the features of the use of social networks by young people clearly emerges. On the one hand, the ever-increasing needs of the active Internet audience - young people - to master and use social networks as communication platforms, to satisfy their psychological needs. On the other hand, with the creation of your own virtual microworld, reality is lost and complete dependence on the Internet appears.
Negative health effects
It would seem that existing networks are an invaluable resource that allows a person to satisfy his need for communication. However, a study of addiction to such Internet sites showed the opposite result. A person partially loses touch with the real world and begins to experience a lack of live communication. All this, according to doctors, worsens the overall well-being of the online consumer. At the same time, the immune system is weakened, and a hormonal imbalance is observed. Addiction to social networks leads to vascular diseases and disruption of the thought process. A person runs the risk of developing mental disorders, oncology, dementia, and heart disease.
Teenagers' dependence on social networks is especially dangerous. At such an early age, it seems that friendship, love and respect are quite easy to win and then destroy without any hesitation. Just a few key manipulations are enough. However, this path is false. The dependence of young people on social networks leads to the fact that the younger generation is not prepared for the realities of life. Teenagers do not realize that everything requires patience and intelligence. They turn into impulsive, intolerant and often unpredictable people. The most terrible result that this Internet addiction presents to society is suicide attempts, which occur under the influence of strong emotions. And all this is only because the bright, fast-flowing life that young people see on the Internet does not coincide with reality.
How to protect yourself?
The world is full of dangers, and even the most seemingly harmless things can cause harm: from loss of money to serious psychological problems. However, with a competent and sober approach, such troubles can be easily avoided - just follow a number of recommendations:
- Fill your life with new experiences by minimizing the time you spend on social networks. Don't limit your life to virtual communication only. Meet with friends, spend time going for walks or playing sports. The world shouldn't be reduced to just your smartphone screen.
- Develop your brain. Setting aside an hour a day to aimlessly scroll through a social network feed is only possible if you devote the rest of your time to your own development. Read books, take foreign language courses or personal effectiveness training, watch the right movies and invest in your professional growth.
- Don't be afraid to communicate in real life. It's not as scary as you think. Meet new people or finally go to a cafe with colleagues you’ve been shy about for a long time. If you find it difficult to take the first step in a conversation, our “Best Communication Techniques” program will come to your aid, which will help you forget about shyness and start making friends in any environment.
- Be inspired by bright and successful people, but don’t make a cult out of them. Use their example for motivation without becoming imitators. A copy is always worse than the original, but your life is unique in any case.
- Remember safety. Do not provide any personal information in correspondence, do not send photos and videos that are intended for personal viewing. Be careful about meeting new people on the Internet. Do not transfer money or share any logins or passwords, even if your friends on social networks ask you to do so. In such cases, always call them personally to make sure that the specific person needs help.
By following these tips, you can protect yourself from all sorts of negative consequences and get the most out of social networks.
How does addiction occur?
At first, a person is simply interested in an Internet resource. The user registers in one or another network, and then begins to gradually expand his account. Over time, correspondence becomes more and more lengthy. A person constantly looks at new messages, takes part in forums, plays games and is addicted to applications. This gradually develops into a pathological addiction to social networks. A person begins to evaluate the day as boring and uninteresting if he was unable to visit his favorite Internet resource.
Who is prone to social media addiction?
Not every person shows increased interest in Internet resources. There are people who visit social networks only occasionally, communicating on them with healthy prudence. There is also a category of Internet users that this resource does not recognize at all. What is the reason for such different attitudes towards social networks?
Experts believe that Internet addiction develops only in those individuals who are unsure of themselves and have low self-esteem. Everything is explained quite simply. No one will see you on the Internet. When posting a photo, you can choose the most successful shot, or even hide behind the picture. Only on social networks is there freedom for teenagers to express their own opinions without the fear of being stopped by constantly critical parents or unfriendly classmates.
A person’s addiction to social networks arises from loneliness, from dissatisfaction with the world order, one’s own appearance and life. Those who lack the attention and love of loved ones also suffer from the temptation of constant online communication.
Teenager and social networks: how to recognize addiction
Where does a teenager’s addiction to social networks begin and how to overcome it? Psychologist and Gestalt therapist Marina Prokhorova told a correspondent of the Minsk-Novosti agency about this and more.
— Today it is impossible to imagine our life without social networks. How do you understand that you have already become dependent on them and it’s time to start sounding the alarm?
- Although this type of addiction is behavioral, in terms of the method and strength of its impact it can be compared with an obsessive need of a physiological nature. For example, in the case of alcohol or nicotine addiction, in order to continue to feel the effect of a psychoactive substance, a person, as he gets used to it, is forced to constantly increase the dose. And then the number of cigarettes/drinks increases exponentially. The same situation is observed with social networks - a person reaches for the phone at any free minute, and other areas of his life begin to suffer. If we are talking about a teenager, this leads to a lack of attention in class, frequent tardiness, or ignoring previous hobbies due to a new priority - hanging out on the Internet. This is already a reason for concern.
The situation is critical if there is a so-called withdrawal syndrome, when a ban or time limit on staying on the Internet is perceived aggressively. The teenager experiences irritation, anger, anxiety, and engages in manipulation and deception in order to regain the object of addiction (phone and Internet connection). Such obsessive behavior is an obvious sign of a mental disorder.
— Why does such dependence develop?
— Any addiction arises as compensation for some needs that, for a number of reasons, could not or cannot be satisfied in a natural way. For example, the family lacks basic support and interest in the child’s life: an absent or drinking father; a harsh, controlling or uncaring mother; fierce competition with brothers or sisters for parental attention and love. As a result, the child ceases to feel needed and important, and then any means are used to help him escape from reality, create his own comfortable world, where the feeling of pain, resentment, despair, and loneliness is dulled. And if we are talking about social networks, then it is so easy to create an ideal image and receive recognition of your exclusivity from hundreds of subscribers.
— What to do if a person realizes that virtual life is taking up more and more time, and the quality of real life is suffering?
“If a person realizes this, that’s already half the battle.” Most often, as with any addiction, denial of this process is demonstrated. A person does not notice that something wrong is happening to him. The help and participation of loved ones and those around you are important here.
If such a miracle happened and a person came to understand the problem, then it is important to take the following measures in a timely manner: limit the time spent in the online space, remove all unnecessary applications from the phone, establish minimal Internet access (choose the appropriate tariff plan), add it to your schedule other matters and activities outside the Internet. You can seek psychological help from specialists.
— How much time can you spend on social networks without harm?
— I think everything is individual. Analyze your day, figure out the optimal proportion of real and virtual life for yourself - and everything will become obvious by itself. And in general, it doesn’t hurt to add awareness to the lifestyle you choose and how you manage your time.
— Do people often come to you with the problem of addiction to social networks?
- No. This is explained by the fact that in people’s minds the concept of “addiction” is more associated with the topic of abuse of alcohol, cigarettes and other drugs. In this regard, the scale of the influence of social networks on our lives is downplayed, and not much attention is paid to solving the problem of addiction.
— Is it possible to cure such an addiction without the help of a specialist?
— It all depends on the stage. At the initial stage, you can get by by limiting the time spent on social networks, self-control and support from loved ones. If things get worse, then timely help from a specialist is needed.
Prepared by Anastasia Petrushko
Portrait of a regular social network user
As a rule, people who strive for virtual communication love to fantasize and embellish the existing reality. Such users are humanists with a romantic mood. Psychologists classify these people as mentally unstable. They suffer from a chronic sleep disorder. Signs of addiction appear in appearance. You can recognize such people by their moist and shiny eyes, as well as by excessive sweating. A user who is constantly present in networks increases the level of dopamine in the brain. This substance is almost an analogue of adrenaline. This is why networking causes a certain surge of energy and excitement. A person strives to get such pleasure again and again when sitting down at a computer monitor.
Symptoms of Internet Addiction
A person is unable to live without social networks if:
1. He is worried about the fact that his message did not receive a response. This is the first alarm call. We can talk about a deterioration in the condition when the user calls the recipients, asking them why they are silent. 2. He spends six hours a day or more on websites, neglecting his business and health. 3. The virtual world begins to replace the real one. For example, such a user clearly remembers his friends on the Internet, forgetting about those who are close to him. 4. He constantly updates his own page on the Internet. At the same time, in the virtual world he has a huge number of friends (within 200-500 people). 5. If you can’t get to your page, depression or panic immediately begins. This is how addiction manifests itself. The lack of virtual communication is akin to not getting the next dose for an alcoholic or drug addict.
Internet addiction: how social networks make us depressed
Kim Kardashian
Every day, more and more research is emerging showing the negative impact of social media on mental health, including depression, anxiety, feelings of loneliness, low self-esteem and even thoughts of suicide. However, Internet addiction is still not included in the list of mental disorders. Does this mean that such a disease does not exist? But what about those who spend hours scrolling their Instagram feed, write angry posts on microblogs in response to any comment and cannot live offline for even a few hours? SPLETNIK.RU studied the scientific side of this issue.
What is Internet addiction?
Let's start with the theory. Internet addiction (the compulsive desire to use the Internet and spend a lot of time online) was first described by Dr. Ivan Goldberg in 1995. Since then, the disorder has been studied by many researchers, mental health counselors, and doctors.
However, some reports suggest the figure is much higher—around 38 percent. Differences in rates can vary greatly because there are no standardized criteria to define this disorder.
Causes of addiction
As with most disorders, it is unlikely that the exact cause of Internet addiction can be determined. Some evidence suggests that the brains of those who suffer from Internet addiction are similar to the brains of those who suffer from drug or alcohol addiction. Interestingly, some studies have linked internet addiction to physical changes in the structure of the brain, particularly affecting the amount of gray and white matter in areas of the prefrontal brain. This area is associated with the ability to remember details, attention, planning and prioritization. One reason for internet addiction is thought to be that structural changes in the prefrontal region of the brain impair your ability to prioritize your life, meaning the internet takes precedence over necessary life tasks. .
Simply put, if you don't eat lunch until you've taken the perfect Instagram photo of your food and posted it with the hashtag #theworldshouldknowwhat, that's a wake-up call.
Researchers from a research center in Pennsylvania, led by psychologist Melissa Hunt, conducted a study focusing on online platforms such as Facebook, Snapchat and Instagram. The results were published in the November issue of the Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology. 143 students from the University of Pennsylvania took part in the experiment.
At the initial stage, which lasted a week, participants were told that the use of social networks should be kept to a minimum. During the second phase, a control group of study participants significantly limited their time on the most popular social networks - Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat - to ten minutes a day for each platform for three weeks. Other participants in the experiment continued to use social networks as usual. Participants in the experiment filled out questionnaires so that the researchers could determine their mood and vitality.
As the researchers expected, people who limited their social media use to 30 minutes felt significantly better after the three-week period, reporting reduced feelings of anxiety and loneliness. Social media has become an integral and essential part of human life, and this will not change. But, as in life, finding moderation in everything is a long and difficult path. In general, put down your phone and communicate more with people, says Melissa Hunt.
Professor Jennifer Mills asked students to take a selfie and upload it to Facebook or Instagram. One group could take just one photo and upload it without editing, while the other group had the option to take as many photos as they wanted and retouch them using the app. Jennifer Mills and her colleagues found that all participants felt less attractive and less confident after the post than at the beginning of the experiment.
Even if they can make the end result look better, they're still focused on what they don't like about their appearance, says Jennifer Mills.
Some of the participants wanted to know if someone liked their photo before deciding how they felt about posting it. It's a roller coaster. You feel anxious and then get reassurance from other people that you look good. But it probably doesn't last forever, and then you take another selfie, says Mills.
We found a significant increase in the number of identified cases of depression and suicide attempts (47 percent increase from 2008 to 2017). This applies primarily to teenagers. One reason for this trend may be that digital media use has had a greater impact on younger people than on older people, who typically don't spend as much time online, said Gene Twenge, author of iGen and professor of psychology at San Diego State University.
Deterioration of sleep
A new study also found that young people sleep far less than previous generations. This, by the way, can provoke mental health problems. Typically, teenagers spend at least 30 minutes with their phone in their hands before going to bed. Spending time with people face to face is a defense against depression. Sometimes we think that online communication works the same way, but it doesn't, says Aaron Faubian, a clinical psychologist and assistant professor of psychiatry at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Social anxiety personality disorder
Are you worried when you can't update Facebook or Instagram? Believe it or not, this is a real mental disorder. It is a state of anxiety that occurs in certain situations of social interaction. The thing is that the longer we spend on social networks, the higher our stress level.
Most microblogging people don't get nervous or stressed when, for some reason, they can't check their social media profiles every five minutes. However, for those who suffer from an anxiety disorder, simply being in an elevator for a few minutes without internet access, for example, can cause significant anxiety. What can we say about flying without access to wi-fi...
Here are some of the most common symptoms of social media anxiety disorder:
— if you interrupt a conversation to check notifications on social networks;
— if you hide exactly how much time you spend online;
- if you have already tried to give up or reduce the time spent on social networks, but without success;
- if you have lost interest in other activities;
- if you neglect work or study to leave comments on Facebook or Twitter;
- if you experience withdrawal symptoms and are unable to access social media;
- if you spend more than six hours a day on social networks such as Facebook, Twitter or Instagram;
— if you always want to post photos and videos on your microblog;
- if you don’t put your phone down even during lunch;
- if you go to social networks more often than you would like;
— if you get nervous when you can’t update your feed;
- if time spent on social networks negatively affects your personal and professional life.
Overall, about 30 percent of people on social media spend more than 15 hours a week online.
If you spend hours a day on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, you won't have enough time to work, study, or spend time with your loved ones. Social anxiety disorder can also affect health, both physical and mental, researchers say.
How does this affect mental health?
Studies have shown that social media abuse can cause depression, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), impulsive disorder, mental health problems, paranoia and loneliness.
Social network Instagram recognized as the most harmful to the psyche
The British Royal Society of Public Health conducted a survey among 1,500 Britons, asking them to evaluate several social networks according to different criteria. Internet users have named Instagram the worst social network for mental health.
Participants in the #StatusOfMind survey asked how YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook and Twitter affect their health and well-being. Young people gave each of the social networks a certain number of points, assessing the indicators according to 14 criteria. YouTube users rated it positively, giving the video hosting site the highest number of points. Instagram and Snapchat received the lowest scores.
Interestingly, platforms that publish photos and videos were at the bottom of the ranking. This appears to make young people feel inferior and cause anxiety, says Shirley Cramer, head of the Royal Society of Public Health. Seeing friends who are constantly flying on vacation or having fun at parties makes us feel like we are missing out on something while others are enjoying life. This creates a “compare and despair” pattern, the report says.
At the end of April, at Facebook's annual developer conference F8, Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri spoke about several upcoming updates, one of which involves the abandonment of likes. The justification for this decision was simple: management wants social networks to be a space where pressure will disappear. We don't want Instagram to feel like a competition. The main problem is toxicity. It can be reduced by eliminating the numbers that encourage people to write and do something bad. We want to create a less stressful environment where people feel comfortable expressing their thoughts (likes are not at all an objective indicator, given the number of bots and services that exist to buy them), Adam said.
By using Instagram, they compare themselves to an unreal, enhanced, filtered, and photoshopped version of reality. Even worse, they no longer feel that they look great unless they edit their own photos, the scientists concluded.
Social media is more harmful to women's mental health than men
A study published in the journal EClinicalMedicine found that spending too much time on social media leads to depression, especially among young girls. Scientists have found that representatives of the fair sex suffer most from depression and insomnia. It's all because of the Internet.
The team surveyed about 11,000 teenagers aged 14 years. As a result, it was noted that girls spend much more time on social networks than boys. Every tenth young person does not have a microblog at all. Teenage girls who spend 3 to 5 hours a day on social media are 26 percent more likely to suffer from depression. We compared them with those teenagers who spend up to 1 hour a day on social networks. Among children who used the Internet more than five hours a day, rates of depression increased by 50 percent for girls and 35 percent for boys compared with less active users. 7.5 percent of girls aged 14 and 4.3 percent of boys aged 14 were victims of online harassment, 35.6 percent of girls were diagnosed with depression, and for boys this figure was no higher than 17.4 percent, says Professor Yvonne Kelly from University College London.
In the UK, for example, the Ministry of Health plans to allocate a billion pounds annually to improve the mental health of citizens. But scientists don’t yet know how to save the “selfie generation” from the harmful addiction to likes. Perhaps it's time to start with ourselves, because, as Tim Cook said in his recent speech to Stanford graduates, technology does not change us, it only enhances our qualities - both good and bad.
If you want recognition for the good, take responsibility for the bad. It's simple!
- Apple CEO is confident.
Fighting Internet addiction
Over time, more and more users around the world are beginning to think about how to regain real communication. Of course, the Internet provides an excellent opportunity to communicate with a wide variety of friends and provides numerous information for leisure, work and health. And all you need to do is click the mouse.
Computer addiction is sometimes compared to drug or alcohol addiction. However, this is not at all true. After all, the first of them is eliminated using psychological techniques, and the other two are eliminated by drug treatment.
How to wean your child off social networks?
The majority of Internet resource users are children. After all, it is not yet easy for them to get used to the world around them and boldly enter adulthood. Treatment of addictions at a young age cannot be done without the help of loved ones and psychologists. In this case, you will need to teach your child to be calm about stupid jokes from ill-wishers, to be friendly and purposeful. This applies most of all to the youngest age, when the formation of one’s own “I” occurs.
The highest prevalence of addiction to social networks is observed in children 10-12 years of age. This is a period when a child strives to become an adult as soon as possible, but does not yet know how to do this. The Internet helps him with this. The virtual screen allows you to express your thoughts without fear of being laughed at. Social networks for a child are a game of adulthood, where there are no moralizing parents, various problems and worries.
However, constantly being at the computer at such an early age results in overexertion. The lack of physical stress and communication with real people in the future can result in serious problems. And here you will need maximum parental participation. They should take the path not of banning the Internet, but of reorienting life interests by sending their child to a sports section, a dance club, etc. We must try to ensure that the child spends more time in live communication and accustom him to work.
What is the danger?
Money corrupts the soul
There are many temptations on social networks that cost real money. Give a gift, continue an online game, buy a set of shiny stickers - all this is an integral part of virtual life. The fragile child's psyche cannot withstand such an onslaught. Those who go and ask their parents most often receive a refusal. This fuels the desire to take the forbidden fruit even more. At such moments, firstly, the nervous system suffers due to worries; secondly, inferiority complexes appear due to financial insolvency; thirdly, an incorrect attitude towards money is formed. The worst consequence is theft. Not allowed? - I'll take it myself!
Fateful information
Few people assume that the influence of social networks on children and adolescents is so great that in a few years it can affect their future fate. At 13-14 years old, there is everything in their accounts, and most of the posts and photographs are dictated by age-related maximalism and psychological crisis. Vulgarity, involvement in various informal groups, display of ten earrings in one ear and arms full of tattoos - negativism is present in every fifth profile.
Over time, a person crosses the threshold of adolescence, hormonal levels and psyche are restored. He graduates from university and is trying to get a prestigious job. A recruiting manager finds him on social networks, scrolls through his account year after year... What if the information found negatively affects the company's reputation? Of course, when refusing a job, the true reason will not be announced, but the result will be the same. Nowadays, many managers monitor data about their current and potential employees via the Internet.
Interest for criminals
- Involuntary "advertising"
Children often do not know how to filter the information they post on their accounts, not realizing that some of the information they post through social networks attracts dangerous criminals. These could be photographs from a vacation abroad with the whole family, from which the thief will conclude that the apartment (the address is easy to find out from the geolocation marks in the same profile) is empty and can be “taken.” Or a sad post about how a girl can’t wait for her dad near school or at a bus stop. This means that she goes somewhere alone late at night and at a certain point in time is left without adult supervision. There could be a threat to her life.
- Manipulation
Parents should also be aware that social networks often encourage children to commit crimes. Adults gain their trust, reveal their weak points through “heart-to-heart conversations” and begin to put pressure and manipulate. Most often, they find out some secret of a teenager by deception or ask for fairly explicit photographs, and then blackmail them. Most do what is asked of them. The most common incitement to theft is to take money from parents and somehow give it to the scammer.
Bad communication
Usually, parents turn a blind eye to their children’s communication on social networks: texting with friends is great, it develops communication skills. And completely in vain.
- Communication with strangers
You can never be sure that a child communicates with friends. He can show you correspondence with some Goose Lapchaty with a vague avatar and say that this is his classmate (he specially invented a funny nickname for himself), but in fact it will be a 40-year-old schizophrenic. Remember: in most cases, communication on social networks with adult strangers ends in tragedy. This could be a criminal, a sectarian, a pedophile, simply a mentally ill person, a representative of an informal group or a gay person. They can plant dangerous thoughts in a teenager’s head that will affect his entire future life.
- Communication with peers
Even communication with peers on social networks, which seems completely harmless to parents, can be dangerous. Firstly, trying to seem “cool” in front of each other, they can swear, call names, brag about non-existent exploits, discuss taboo topics, and adopt bad habits from each other. This has a negative impact on the developing character.
Secondly, accounts with photoshopped photographs, pictures from foreign holidays, open demonstration of personal life (starting from almost 12 years old!) evoke a feeling of envy. Especially for those who don’t have all this. The result is complexes, anger and resentment towards the whole world.
Thirdly, children often live their whole lives on social networks: they quarrel, make peace, fall in love, become friends, hate. Reality is being replaced by the virtual world. This leads to impoverished emotions and inability to communicate at school and at home.
Trolling
Trolling is one of the most dangerous consequences for the child’s psyche. These are provocative messages and comments, incitement to something bad and shameful, slander, bullying, insults and name-calling. This is done by both anonymous users with fake accounts and real ones who do not even hide their cynicism. Among the latter there may be classmates or acquaintances of the child who want to humiliate him. But most often these are mentally ill people.
Teenagers are very sensitive to any criticism addressed to them due to the age crisis and unstable hormonal levels. Therefore, when they see angry, hurtful comments on their page, they lose their temper. Some people nervously begin to delete them, others get into an argument with the troll, and others take their anger out on others. This can break a child's psyche. Offensive words are taken seriously, complexes appear, tensions and incorrect patterns of behavior are formed.
Trolling is not without reason called one of the most dangerous consequences of social networks. There are known cases where it led to child and adolescent suicides.
Deadly games
Blue Whale, Quiet House, Run or Die, Wake Me Up at 4.20, I'm in the Game, Disappear for 24 Hours - so-called death groups on social networks do not just have a negative impact on children. Ultimately, they lead to death. And if, because of trolling, only the most impressionable teenagers can decide to commit suicide, here they lead to this purposefully, step by step, and therefore a much larger number of schoolchildren die.
- Manipulation and blackmail
First, the child enters a community that seems interesting to him. Then he is allegedly drawn into a game in which he must complete various tasks. In fact, he is being skillfully manipulated. Each instruction is accompanied by incitements: “weak?”, “do it for the sake of your parents,” “you can do it,” “999 people have already done this - become the thousandth,” etc. In some death groups they openly blackmail and threaten: “You won’t do it.” it’s your parents who will die.” The wording alone is dangerous for the psyche. Children begin to get nervous, worry, and cannot find a place for themselves. They are overwhelmed by a wave of depression and despair. And you can’t tell anyone, since this is one of the rules of the game.
- Deadly missions
No less dangerous are the tasks themselves, which not only undermine the child’s psyche, but also threaten his health and life. For example, cut a word (phrase, drawing) on your hand with a blade. Or run across the road in the wrong place right in front of a speeding car. Or leave home and hide so that you won’t be found for 24 hours. Each task completed must be recorded on camera - photo or video. Under subtle pressure, children do everything the supervisor says. They become mentally dependent on the game, become depressed, and are paralyzed by fear. And then the last task comes to them: step off the roof, throw yourself under a train, open your veins.
Children involved in death games on social networks suffer dangerous psychological trauma. They require the mandatory help of a psychotherapist, attention and care of parents. Rehabilitation can last several years.
Addiction
And finally, the most common dangerous consequence of social networks for a child’s psyche is dependence on them. Its signs:
- there are active accounts visited daily in more than 3 social networks;
- most of the time is spent in them;
- the morning begins and the day ends by scrolling through the feed;
- complaints that someone did not like his post or photo;
- constant conversations only about social networks;
- posting several selfies daily.
A child begins to get nervous if for some reason he cannot log into his account for a long time. This irritates him, he may start crying and screaming. This condition can only be treated by a psychotherapist.
Eliminating addiction in an adult
There are simple rules that, following them, will allow you to easily wean yourself from constantly sitting at the computer. First of all, you will need to reduce the time you spend on social networks, minimizing it. For example, on the first day it could be six hours, on the second – thirty minutes less, etc. During such a period, you will need to increase your communication with people living in the real world. Make it a habit to take evening walks. Go to the movies, concerts and theaters. Invite some of your already forgotten friends with you. And you will certainly be surprised at how many acquaintances managed to miss communicating with you while you disappeared on social networks.
Also, call your friends on the phone more often. Pick up the phone whenever you want to share something with your loved ones. Live communication should replace your account status update. Chatting on the phone will not only distract you from the computer, but will also charge you with positive emotions.
To eliminate dependence on Internet resources, you will need to set a limit on your stay in them. The time allocated for viewing correspondence and photographs should not exceed twenty minutes during the day. To control the limit, you can install a special program that will remind you to leave the site, and, if necessary, block the resource until the next day.
A fairly effective option is to delete all accounts. Your absence from social networks will allow you to say goodbye to addiction in just a month.
How to tell if you have an Internet addiction
In my opinion, it is worth fighting Internet addiction if it takes away your time that you could spend more usefully.
If, for example, a teenager spends all his free time playing games or surfing the Internet, what will be the benefit of giving up this activity? Will he play sports or start drinking with friends on the street?
Before changing anything in our lives, let's check how harmful social networks are for us. Answer a few questions:
1. Is there anything in my life that I want to do but am putting off because of social media?
2. Do I catch myself thinking that I want to stop surfing the Internet, but I can’t do it?
3. Have I ever had conflicts at work or at home because of social media?
4. Am I checking my news feed at the wrong time? For example, while driving.
5. Am I spending more time on social media than I did a year ago?
6. Do social networks help me take my mind off painful experiences? For example, after a conflict or quarrel.
If you answered yes to at least 1 question, then it is very likely that you have a sign of mental addiction to the Internet. I found all six of them.
There are also biochemical manifestations of addiction:
1. Anxious state for several days.
2. Absent-mindedness, forgetfulness, inability to remember simple things.
3. Problems with sleep (long time falling asleep).
Any problem from this list is a reason to take yourself seriously.
