Is Social Media Good for Mental Health? The Answer Depends on How You Use It
Instagram.
Facebook.
TikTok.
And now, X.
For most of us, social media is an integral part of daily life.
And while we’re constantly being told how social media can negatively affect our mental health, it’s important to understand that there are also some ways social media may have a positive impact on our mental outlook.
“How is social media good for mental health?” you ask. “And what can I do to avoid social media pitfalls?”
Those are great questions and in this article, we delve into the numerous ways that social media, when used wisely, may support your mental well-being. We also offer tips for prioritizing your mental health while enjoying social media platforms.
Table of Contents
How Is Social Media Good for Mental Health?
When used in the right way, social media may have a positive impact on your mental health by:
Allowing you to stay in touch with friends, family, and loved ones.
Helping you connect with like-minded people.
Giving you an outlet for self-expression.
Helping you build a supportive community.
Providing a way to connect with professionals.
Relieving loneliness and social isolation.
Inspiring you to make healthy life choices.
Enabling you to develop helpful technical skills.
Are you feeling like your mental health is a little ‘off?’ Good Bitters may be able to help you restore a sense of balance to your life. A unique combination of sweet and bitter tastes, our Kalm Drops were created to be used as a focal point during meditation to help you relax, re-center, and reconnect.
Managing social media is not a cure-all for improving mental health. There can be many factors that influence wellness, so a holistic view of mental health may be helpful.
8 Ways To Use Social Media To Support Your Mental Health
#1: Keep in Touch
Whether you live far from your family and loved ones or haven’t chatted with an old friend in a while, social media can help keep these connections fresh and alive.
By following each other on Facebook or Instagram, you can easily get glimpses into one another’s lives and enjoy daily moments that you wouldn’t otherwise get to experience.
#2: Connect With Like-Minded People
As human beings we not only need, but we thrive on connection with one another.
One way that social media may be good for your mental health is by connecting you with other people.
This can be done through:
Chat forums
Blogs
Interest groups
And more
Finding others who share similar interests may help you connect with people who think like you do and share your viewpoints.
#3: Self-Expression
Have you ever wanted a safe space to express yourself? Many people find social media to be just that.
Often, you may have feelings that are not safe or appropriate to share with someone in your everyday circle of life.
Being able to vent or even simply express your feelings in an anonymous environment may be very helpful to mental health.
#4: Build a Community
Are you interested in:
Cold plunges
Outdoor yoga
Knitting; or
Bird watching
Finding and building a niche in-person community around interests like these can sometimes be difficult.
Through social media, groups with similar interests can easily connect with others who share their hobbies, interests, or beliefs. You can make online community connections with people you wouldn’t otherwise have a chance to meet.
And who knows, after connecting digitally, your online community might even be able to find a way to have in-person meet-ups.
#5: Connect With Professionals
Gone are the days of having to go to the library and look up information in an encyclopedia or trying to connect with an expert via snail mail.
With the rise in social media, we have access to more information than ever and can easily connect with all types of professionals through online platforms.
Imagine you are stuck on the side of the road with a flat tire. Rather than worrying about paying a lot of money for roadside assistance or having your vehicle towed to a mechanic’s shop, you can easily do a quick YouTube search. Within a minute or two, you have the DIY details you need to change the tire yourself (and save your hard-earned dollars). Plus, you’ll get to experience a huge sense of accomplishment.
#6: Relieve Loneliness and Social Isolation
It doesn’t matter who you are, at some point you've probably felt a sense of loneliness. This may be especially true after the social restraints of the past few years.
Making the right kinds of connections on social media may help you feel less lonely and help you build a community through forums, chat rooms, or other online groups.
This may be especially true for introverts or people who don’t like leaving their homes but crave social connections. Social media may be able to help alleviate their feelings of isolation without having to venture out of their comfort zones.
#7: Inspire Healthy Choices
Another way social media may be good for your mental health is by inspiring you to lean into wise choices that can impact your overall health and the health of those you love.
You may see a group of friends joining a pickleball league or someone taking a tai chi class and think that’s something that may interest you, too.
Maybe your vegetarian friend is sharing healthy recipes or your keto neighbor is posting cooking videos, and you become inspired to try some of these healthy meal options for yourself.
Healthy choices you may decide to engage in from social media may also include things like:
Choosing to visit a mental health therapist
Deciding to take a peaceful parenting class
Incorporating spiritual practices into your life
#8: Develop Technical Skills
Technology is ever-changing, and it can be a challenge trying to keep up with it all.
Social media may help individuals from young teens to older adults hone in on the specific technical skills they need to stay informed, engaged, and active in today’s fast-moving world, including:
Operating a computer; and
Cell phone usage
3 Social Media Pitfalls To Avoid for Your Mental Health
If you do decide you’d like to use social media for its good points, here are a few important aspects you’ll want to look out for to ensure you are doing all you can to protect your mental health.
#1: Doom Scrolling
Doom scrolling, also known as doom surfing, refers to spending excessive amounts of time scrolling through social media platforms or reading negative news.
A 2023 study reported that doom-scrolling binges have a negative impact on an individual’s:
Life satisfaction
Mental well-being; and
Harmony in life
#2: Comparing Yourself to Others
In general, people want to portray the best version of themselves on social media.
If you find that you’re comparing yourself and your life to other people every time you're on social media, it's probably time to take a pause.
A fact of life is that there will always be someone prettier, richer, or more creative than you. While it may seem like they're having an amazing life when you see them on social media, the reality is that it’s easy to fake happiness and make things look better than they really are.
#3: Not Knowing When To Stop
Many people exhibit signs of addiction to social media and find themselves unable to control the amount of time they spend online.
It is likely that social media is having a negative impact on your mental wellbeing if you:
Feel the need to constantly check your social media.
Spend long periods on social media pages.
Find yourself spending less time engaged in offline activities.
Notice changes in your mood, especially when you aren’t looking at social media.
Experience withdrawal symptoms when you’re offline.
Find yourself engaging in conflict as a result of social media use
Begin to struggle with school work, job performance, or interpersonal relationships
Tips for Using Social Media to Benefit Your Mental Health
One way to counteract the potentially negative effects of social media is to prepare your heart and mind before you even log in.
A great way to do this is to take ten seconds (or more) to speak your intentions or say positive affirmations before logging in.
This might look like saying, “My life is my life. Their life is their life. I won’t compare myself to anyone else.” Or, “I love and appreciate myself. I don’t need the approval of others to feel valued or complete. I am smart, talented, and beautiful inside and out.“
Another way to proactively guard your mental well-being when using social media is by timing your usage to avoid mindless scrolling.
You may even want to consider using one of the many apps specially designed to monitor social media usage, such as:
AppBlock – AppBlock lets users temporarily block apps by locking them at scheduled times. The apps can also be used in ‘strict mode,’ which prevents the user from changing the rules and forces them to take time away from social media.
Flipd – This app is the ultimate distraction stopper and gives users a no-turning-back way to monitor their social media (and other) apps. Once a certain app is locked on the phone for a specified period of time, there’s no going back — even by restarting the phone.
FocusMe – Like most other social media monitoring apps, FocusMe allows users to block specific websites and apps for a limited time. The app also reminds them to take breaks every so often and can be used as a parental control to limit kids' time online.
Which Social Media Is Best for Mental Health?
There’s no one right answer to this question.
There are, however, several social media apps that stand out when it comes to having a positive effect on mental health, including YouTube and Instagram.
A report called #StatusOfMind, published by the Royal Society for Public Health in the UK, named the video streaming platform YouTube as the stand-out over the other social media outlets as the app having the most overall positive effect on mental health. It scored particularly high in the categories of:
Self-expression
Awareness; and
Community building
Instagram was found to have several positive effects as well, including self-expression, self-identity, community building, and emotional support. The popular photo-sharing app, however, was also found to have the most negative effect on the mental health of its users.
The study showed that Instagram is responsible for increasing bullying and ‘FOMO’ (fear of missing out), negatively impacting both body image and sleep, and heightening users’ feelings of anxiousness, depression, and loneliness.
In the end, the effect a social media app has on your overall mental health ultimately boils down to how you use the platform.
Prioritize Your Mental Health by Taking Good Bitters Kalm Drops Before You Scroll
Often, prioritizing your mental health comes down to mindfulness and making choices that help break unhealthy habits — like endlessly scrolling social media. By combining those mindful choices, you’ll be well on your way toward setting yourself up for success.
If you want to get serious about maintaining positive mental health, Kalm Drops from Good Bitters are the perfect way to bring sweet and bitter together to create feelings of relaxation and reconnection within yourself.
Kalm Drops can be used as a point of focus during a time of meditation or after a meal to help you relax and are:
Organic
Dairy-free
Gluten-free
Preservative-free; and
Available in a sugar-free variety
Try Kalm Drops or one of our other natural herbal teas and self-care products infused with a balanced, bitter taste.
The content in this blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
Disclaimer: The information on this website is taken from traditional wisdom and modern research/databases and is for educational purposes only. It is not intended to act as medical advice or to replace medical treatment. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. The statements and information on this website have not been evaluated by the FDA. Please consult a knowledgeable healthcare provider for your individual needs.
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