Depression and anxiety seems to be an epidemic these days. Everywhere we turn, there are youngsters fighting very public battles with anxiety and depression – and if that isn’t a matter of concern, what is? Our generation is full of folks with happy smiling faces, but sad eyes – the kind of thing that’s toxic beyond description. So why are millennials’ mental health so messed up? What are we doing wrong?
Based on this concern, a study was conducted last year in the US, and the findings only increased everyone’s sense of worry. According to researchers, depression was only a part of the larger scenario. Happiness was absent, loneliness was on the rise and an amalgamation of all of this, increased the number of teens that committed or attempted to commit suicide. When they dug deeper, looking for reasons as to why this could be happening, they found smartphones and social media to be the top reasons!
Here’s what they said: “Right when smart phones and the addiction of social media became common, teens started spending less time face-to-face, causing their psychological well-being to be negatively affected. The next question was whether this might be linked to lower well-being among individuals. From our analyses, we found that teens that spent more time on screens were less happy; more depressed, and had more risk factors for suicide.”
If you’re an addict, your natural reaction to this might be, “But what about the positive effects of smartphones and social media?” Well, researchers have an answer to this, too. “Overall, between the large samples we analyzed and the meta-analysis, it seems clear that the preponderance of the evidence points toward lower well-being with more social media use. While social media may have its benefits, it has an undeniable effect on the psychology of young people, and is harming more than it is benefiting anyone.”
While staying constantly connected may be unavoidable due to several reasons like work or even personal agendas, as you can see, there is mounting evidence to help you understand why you need to make a conscious effort to stay away from your screen as much as possible. While it can be difficult to break the habit, try starting slowly. If you are not mentally healthy, nothing else matters!
