On the website HEADPHONES ADDICT, it was estimated there are 352.4 million social media addicts in 2023. That means more than 350 million people are getting fooled by the social media algorithm.
“A social media algorithm is a set of rules and signals that automatically ranks content on a social platform based on how likely each individual social media user is to like it and interact with it.” To simplify it, each social media platform very closely looks at what you are most likely to engage with. For example, tiktok will look at accounts, trending topics, and trending audios you have previously shown interest in. And more, such as comments you’ve posted, videos you’ve liked or shared, the videos you’ve watched all the way to the end, hashtags, captions, etc.
Now, the recommended daily screen time for anybody is two hours, yet the average teenager can manage to spend seven hours on his/her phone a day. That is more than some teenagers sleep. This is where the social media algorithm comes into play. Not only are you spending hours and hours continuously scrolling, but there are also several long-term and temporary effects. The most common temporary effects include “Eye Strain, Dry eyes, Eye pain, Headaches, Blurry Vision, Double Vision, Watery eyes, Eye irritation”. These are caused by the light the phone radiates, also known as blue light. As these symptoms can be temporary, symptoms can worsen without some treatment.
One of the biggest things social media can do is mess with Mental Health. Good Mental Health can look like “you are confident when faced with new situations or people, you do not always blame yourself, you set goals, you feel good about yourself, you have good self-esteem, etc.” It can also look like being able to “cope with the normal stresses of life”, working productively, etc. Bad mental health can look like always being negative, super stressed, having no time for yourself, anxiety, feeling depressed a lot of the time. This is why the recommended social media is only “30 minutes per day for better physical and mental health”.
And finally, what can social media do to your actual brain? A little-known fact is screen use actually releases this thing called dopamine in the brain. (A feel-good chemical.) This has the possibility of negatively affecting impulse control. Studies have shown that screen time affects the frontal cortex of the brain in a similar effect to cocaine.
All of these things are some of the main things that too much social media can do to affect your life. But, with some effort, teenagers can spend less time on social media. Start by setting time limits for certain apps in your phone's settings, so you can only be on a social media platform for a certain amount of time, or you get a reminder when you start spending too much time on that platform. If you need or want to, even delete the app. After you’ve set time limits or deleted apps, you will actually find your phone…well… quite boring. Also, one of the things I highly recommend is watching the Netflix Documentary, The Social Dilemma. Netflix Documentary, “The Social Dilemma". Personally, I feel like this almost freaks you out in a good way. It makes you watch (literally) how social media/your phone can affect you negatively. And you will see if you really try, you will feel more happy and content with your life, and yourself.
Sources:
https://headphonesaddict.com/teen-kids-screen-time-statistics/
https://blog.hootsuite.com/tiktok-algorithm/