According to statistics published by the World Health Organization, more than 350 million people have depression. In terms of economic impact, the global costs of mental health problems were approximately US $2.5 trillion in 2010. By 2030, it is estimated that the costs will increase further to US $6.0 trillion. [CITED-Akkapon Wongkoblap, Miguel A Vadillo, Vasa Curcin 2017]

Once the 2000 apocalypse never hit planet Earth, some claim a new virus plagued civilization. This virus was the advance of digitalization. With the foundation of social media, Facebook and Instagram alike, our world expanded, and little did man know, it would never be the same again. Today, every person from age 7 and up can navigate accounts and access the internet. Even with restrictions put up, the side effects of longevity spent online are seen spanning across age groups, most prevalent effects being an increase in mental health disorders.

In 2020, there are an estimated 3.8 billion social media users worldwide, representing half the global population (We Are Social 2020). Similarly, there is mounting evidence showing high rates of social media use among individuals with mental disorders, including studies looking at engagement with these popular platforms across diverse settings and disorder types. (Journal of Technology in Behavioral Science). Let us look at the disorders stemming from exposure to the internet.

Social media is well known to promote unhealthy standards of beauty and wealth. Viewing the endless algorithm of posts and videos online, most of which are doctored and filtered heavily, we can understand how it must seem to an adolescent who is not aware of the same. They are brought up to think that those are the benchmarks to be met, thus inviting an environment of insecurity around young minds. This unattainable criterion is what drives many adolescents as well as young adults into eating disorders, depression and suicide, as people start feeling like they are not valuable enough in society.

Another detrimental effect is the haunting addiction that most people develop. Attachment to incessant scrolling and posting online causes anxiety of failure to attract and loneliness in the long run. When detached from their devices, they feel anxious to return and fail to perform in social settings. This leads to increased introversion, lack of interpersonal skills and reduction in offline relationships. Lockdown studies indicate that people seemed to forget their communication, presentation and societal habits in their confinement.

Speaking of relationships, social media also presents a new danger in the prevailing issue of child abuse. Predators lurking online attack minors, leading to many children being groomed. This leads to PTSD, relationship and trust issues in children.

Recent studies have discussed how digital media can promote, instigate, and encourage violence such as cyberbullying and gang violence, especially in the preteen and teenage population. Similarly, digital media use impacts suicide rates, in some cases encouraging the act. Several studies demonstrated a correlation between an increase in social media use and risk of suicide. Headlines on large media outlets implicate cyberbullying as the cause for many suicides among young teenagers. [CITED- Social Media and Suicide: A Review of Technology-Based Epidemiology and Risk Assessment 2019].

Summarizing the above, the impact of social media in the new age has vast advantages to mankind’s evolution. However, one must be access wisely and in moderation to avoid problems in the upcoming future.