THE IMPACT OF SOCIAL MEDIA ON THE MENTAL HEALTH OF YOUNG PEOPLE
- 19 May
A UK snapshot poll suggests that "Instagram and Snapchat are rated as the worst social media platforms when it comes to its impact on young people's mental health", the BBC, reports.
The online survey posed questions to 1,479 people between ages 14 to 24 to rate which social media platform (of YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook and Twitter) negatively impact their users.
The ratings were to be based on anxiety, depression, loneliness, bullying as well as body image and respondents were asked to score each platform on 14 issues pertaining to health and wellbeing.
The poll suggested that YouTube has the most positive impact on mental health, followed by Twitter and Facebook. However, Instagram and Snapchat had the lowest scores.
Chief executive of the Royal Society for Public Health study, Shirley Cramer, said:
"It is interesting to see Instagram and Snapchat ranking as the worst for mental health and well-being -both platforms are very image-focused and it appears they may be driving feelings of inadequacy and anxiety in young people."
Due to the findings of the poll, public health experts are suggesting that the following checks should be made on social media, as measures to tackling mental health problems in young people:
- Pop-ups warning people that they have used social media for a long time
- Social media platforms identifying users with mental health problems and quietly signposting where support can be gotten
- Platforms to highlight when photos have been manipulated digitally
What do you think?
Please tweet comments @suppsolutions.
For more details, visit the BBC.
Related articles
- 25 Jul
SOCIAL MEDIA APPS FOR HOUSING ASSOCIATIONS
INSTAGRAMGOOGLE TRANSLATEHOMESWAPPER MATCHESFACEBOOK LIVEWHATSAPPTAWKYou can download these apps online and via Android or IOS devices as well. Enjoy!What do you think? Please tweet...
- 17 Jun
FREE DEVICES AND APPS FOR BETTER HEALTH
Some of such devices and apps which will be available in April 2017 are:AliveCor- A mobile heart monitor (strapped to the back of a smartphone) which will also save NHS money, reducing need for...
- 08 Jun
#UKHousingFast
The #UKHousingFast is a social media campaign which is led by people living and working in social housing to support the activities of Trussell Trust.This fast is in its third year and will take...
- 26 Jan
Twitter leads national campaign for compassionate care
#HelloMyNameIs is a social media based campaign created by one doctor, Kate Granger, in order to encourage healthcare professionals to introduce themselves to patients.The campaign is now being...
- 23 Jan
Social media for housing associations
Online engagement between many commercial and charitable organisations and their clients and users has become very popular. However, many housing organisations have not succeeded as well as they...
- 22 Jan
An effective social media strategy for your social organisation
It is important to reach a position on social media where the community feels comfortable in sharing the content that you post.Your content should reflect the trust and integrity your users have for...
- 15 Jan
The Social Media Presence of Social Organisations
However, there are still many organisations who are not taking full advantage of social media platforms by not regularly updating their users and followers with content, nor sharing links that their...
- 15 Jan
Charity urges homelessness to be put to an end
Homeless Link, in its manifesto to end homelessness, has urged the next Government to end rough sleeping, ensure employment and welfare support, provide more homes and protect the rights of tenants,...
- 13 Jan
Instagram for your Social Organisation
It has beat Twitter in terms of number of users, but it is currently outperforming in terms of engagement as well.Instagram's engagement is 50 times higher than Twitter. The difference is a large...
- 09 Jan
The role of social media in non-profit fundraising
According to a study by a consulting firm for non-profits, "Growth in social media audiences far outpaces that of email".Amongst 55 large non-profits, research found that email lists only rose by 14%...
Revenue Optimisation "Coventry Mind has recently worked through a programme of Housing Benefit optimisation with Support Solutions and in particular their specialist Danny Key. Throughout the whole process Danny demonstrated that he has excellent knowledge of the subject and was able to put forward a convincing case for the increase in funding to the Housing Benefit team. Coventry Mind has already and will continue to recommend Support Solutions and in particular this service to other organisations." Steven Hill - Director of Central Services
