(ThySistas.com) Social media? That’s toxic. I realise I’m writing this from a blog supported by social media, but hear me out!
Social media is in everything that we do. When we have a moment in life that we love, we grab our phones, snap a pic and upload it to Facebook and Instagram. Sometimes, we upload it to Twitter and SnapChat, too. All of these open digital platforms are right there for us to parade our lives. Except that the lives that we have on social media are not our lives at all. They’re little boxes of our lives, and those don’t tell the whole story.
The thing is, when you’re an impressionable teenager, that is all-consuming. It’s seeing the squares that someone else puts up about their lives and believing in them. It’s seeing celebrities drink stupid “slimming tea” and believing their “results”. It’s comparing their experiences with the fake ones paraded across social media and feeling inadequate, scared and alone in the world.
And this, my friends, is why social media is toxic. What you need is a digital detox. There are plenty of options for teen depression treatment out there that are growing, but the thing is, they should not be growing. Teenagers should be as carefree as possible while they deal with raging hormones, friendships that are on the line and how late to turn in a paper. Teenagers should not be dealing with the crushing low self-esteem that comes with spending too much time on the internet. So, let’s take a look at six perfect reasons to get that digital detox under way:
You’ll Have Time
For friends. For an assignment due at school. For time for self-care. You’ll get hours back that you would have used thumbing down your phone for hours on end and swapping through the same three apps. Did you know that the average adult spends 8 hours a day on social media? That’s an insane amount of time that could be spent elsewhere.
Improved Attention Span
If you’re spending your time away from social media thinking about social media, you need to have yours cut off. Your attention span isn’t great if you can’t focus on what you are supposed to be doing outside your phone. Spending a lot more time away from your social media and in the activities that make up a life are more important, and you’ll finally learn to focus.
You’ll Be Happier
Depression and heavy internet use are linked, and the online world is addictive. Without social media and the pressure of living up to the lives of everyone else, you’ll be happier than ever.
You Will Sleep
Blue light technology, my friends. Look it up. Google these studies and read about them for yourself. When you lie awake in bed staring at your phone and scrolling down your Facebook feed, you think you’re having fun. There’s nothing fun about forcing your body to stay awake just to laugh at funny memes. Make your room a tech-free zone and stop using technology at least an hour before you plan to sleep. You’ll be much better off for it.
Better Relationships
How much do you envy the people on your social media feed? These are your friends and family – or they’re a bunch of strangers you admire from a distance. The best thing that you can do is to step back, close your phone and interact with people in real life. You’ll see their lives for what they are, speak to people without emojis and be able to give your friends your full attention.
Less Pressure
There is so much pressure on teenagers away from social media; you do not need any added stress from the fake lives on social media. You have stress enough in your friendship groups, high school work and college applications – you don’t need the pressure to live up to a snippet of someone else’s life. Without social media in your face all the time, you’re able to stay calm and feel less pressure from the world in your hands.
Social media was created as a way to connect with people. It still works that way; plenty of opportunities arise where social media is a necessity. However, for a teenager? Social media is NOT as essential as you are led to believe. You have an entire life to lead that doesn’t have to be done in the palm of your hand. So, go and live it. Detox hard and don’t look back.
Staff Writer; Shelia Day