In recent years, a growing body of research has begun to shed light on the profound effects of social media and news consumption on mental and physical health. As our world becomes increasingly interconnected through digital platforms, understanding these impacts is more crucial than ever. This blog post delves into the latest findings from various studies, including the Surgeon General’s Advisory on Social Media Use and Youth Mental Health, a study on negativity in online news consumption, the Pew Research Center’s study on news consumption across social media in 2021, a BMJ editorial on social media addiction, and a ResearchGate study on social media use in UK teens.
The Surgeon General’s Warning on Social Media
The Surgeon General’s Advisory on Social Media Use and Youth Mental Health highlights a disturbing trend: excessive social media use can have significant adverse effects on young people’s mental health. Adolescents spending more than three hours per day on social media platforms are at double the risk of experiencing symptoms of depression and anxiety. This excessive use also correlates with issues like body dissatisfaction, disordered eating behaviours, and sleep disturbances, underlining the urgent need for interventions aimed at mitigating these risks1.
The Power of Negativity in News Consumption
The study on negativity in online news consumption reveals that negative language in news headlines significantly increases user engagement, demonstrating the prevalence of a ‘negativity bias‘2 in media consumption. This finding is crucial as it suggests that the more negative the news we consume, the more likely we are to engage with it, potentially leading to increased anxiety and stress levels among readers3.
Social Media: A Double-edged Sword
The Pew Research Centre’s study on news consumption across social media in 2021 provides insight into the dual role of social media platforms. While they serve as a significant source of news for many, the study indicates a slight decline in news consumption via these platforms. However, the nuanced role of social media in disseminating news highlights its potential both to inform and to overwhelm users with information4.
Is Social Media an Addiction?
A BMJ editorial raises the question of whether excessive social media use constitutes an addiction. With a staggering 77% of UK internet users having a social media profile and a significant portion of adolescents using social media for at least five hours daily, the editorial calls for more research into the addictive potential of social media and its implications for mental health5.
UK Teens and Social Media: A Closer Look
Finally, a ResearchGate study focusing on UK teens’ social media use sheds light on the pervasive impact of digital platforms on the younger population. The study underscores the need for further exploration into how social media affects adolescents’ mental health and wellbeing, suggesting a complex interplay between online engagement and psychological outcomes6.
Together, these studies paint a comprehensive picture of the digital landscape’s impact on our health. From the addictive potential of social media to the psychological effects of news consumption, it’s clear that our online habits have far-reaching implications for our wellbeing.
Morning Mindset: How Early News and Social Media Scrolls Shape Our Day
Starting the day by scrolling through news and social media can profoundly affect both our psychological and physical state for the rest of the day. This morning ritual of doomscrolling triggers the threat response system in our brain, leading to the activation of the central nervous system. This not only heightens stress hormone levels, such as cortisol and adrenaline, but also puts our body into a state of high alert from the get-go. This elevated state of stress can heavily influence our thoughts, emotions, and behaviours throughout the day, predisposing us to feelings of anxiety and a pessimistic outlook on life.
The impact of this morning exposure to negative news does not stop at psychological effects; it extends to physical repercussions as well. The stress response can disrupt sleep patterns, impair concentration, and affect our overall sense of wellbeing, setting a tone of unease that can linger throughout the day. Moreover, the physical symptoms associated with chronic stress, such as headaches, muscle tension, and fatigue, can also emerge, making it harder to focus and stay productive. In essence, by starting our day immersed in the gloom of the digital world, we prime our minds and bodies for stress, affecting not just our mood and mental health but our physical health and daily experiences as well.
Crafting Healthier Mornings: Revitalising Your Start for Enhanced Wellbeing
Turning our social media scrolling habit into a more focused and energetic morning routine is entirely achievable. The strategies suggested below, while not revolutionary, can significantly impact when we choose them over reaching for our phones first thing in the morning. By consciously deciding to engage in any of these alternatives, we’re not just reducing our stress levels from the day’s start. We’re also rewiring our brain to cultivate a new, healthier morning ritual. This deliberate choice to avoid the social media app and opt for a listed activity instead paves the way for more positive morning routines. As our minds and bodies become accustomed to less overwhelming starts, the door opens to forming additional beneficial habits, setting a tone of calm and control for the day ahead.
- Ease into your morning with a five-minute body scan, a simple yet effective way to centre yourself. Begin by focusing on either the crown of your head or your toes, then gently shift your attention through your body, pausing briefly on each part. Pay special attention to areas often harbouring tension, like your eyebrows, jaw, neck, shoulders, lower back, and abdomen – where many of us experience anxiety. Remember, this is about observation without judgment; there’s no right or wrong feeling here. You’re merely guiding your brain to tune into your body’s current state, steering away from distractions tied to past or future thoughts (or what’s happening on social media!). It’s worth noting that this practice may require patience, especially since the pervasive use of social media might have dwindled our attention spans to mere seconds. If you find your focus waning quickly, you’re not alone – I’m in the same boat. The goal isn’t to master mindfulness overnight but to gradually replace doomscrolling with a nurturing habit. This shift away from social media, towards a practice that grounds you in the now, could be a valuable step towards cultivating a serene start to your day.
- Simply standing up and moving away from your bed can effectively prevent the automatic reach for your phone each morning. If getting out of bed quickly isn’t a challenge for you, adopting this straightforward strategy could be an excellent start to breaking the habit! If it is a challenge, I have found that using Mel Robbins’ ‘5,4,3,2,1’ technique is a great way to make you spring out of bed!
- Breathe Easy: When thoughts of social media invade your mind yet you’re not ready to leave the comfort of your bed, consider dedicating a few minutes to focused breathing. Gently inhale through your nose and exhale through your mouth with a sigh. This type of deep, calming breath, referred to as a physiological sigh, signals to your sympathetic nervous system that it’s time to relax and embrace the day ahead with tranquility.
From understanding the science behind doomscrolling and its activation of our threat response system to embracing practical techniques like body scanning, breathing exercises, and simply moving away from our digital devices, we’ve uncovered some methods aimed at enhancing our mornings. These practices aren’t just about avoiding the pitfalls of starting our day engulfed in a digital haze; they’re about retraining our brains to foster a sense of presence, calm, and focus from the moment we wake. By choosing to replace the habit of reaching for our phones with these mindful activities, we’re not only setting a positive tone for the day but also taking crucial steps towards cultivating a healthier, more balanced lifestyle. Let’s embrace these small but powerful changes, allowing us to reclaim our mornings and, by extension, improve our overall quality of life!
References:
- U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. (2023) Surgeon General issues new advisory about effects social media use has on youth mental health. Available at: https://www.hhs.gov/about/news/2023/05/23/surgeon-general-issues-new-advisory-about-effects-social-media-use-has-youth-mental-health.html (Accessed: 26/02/2024). ↩︎
- Baumeister, R. F., Bratslavsky, E., Finkenauer, C., & Vohs, K. D. (2001). Bad is stronger than good: Evidence-based perspectives on the negativity bias. Psychological Review, 108(3), 374-375. ↩︎
- Robertson, C.E., Pröllochs, N., Schwarzenegger, K. et al. Negativity drives online news consumption. Nat Hum Behav 7, 812–822 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-023-01538-4 ↩︎
- Walker, M. and Matsa, K.E. (2021) News Consumption Across Social Media in 2021. Pew Research Center Journalism & Media. Available at: https://www.pewresearch.org/journalism/2021/09/20/news-consumption-across-social-media-in-2021/ (Accessed: 26/02/2024). ↩︎
- Zendle, D. and Bowden-Jones, H. (2019) ‘Is excessive use of social media an addiction?’, BMJ, 365, l2171. Available at: https://www.bmj.com/content/365/bmj.l2171 (Accessed: 26/02/2024). ↩︎
- MGEKN, Isaac & Isaac, Mokhtar & B, Pete. (2021). Social Media Use in UK Teens and their Perceived Effects: A Survey of UK Teenagers’ Use of and Views on Social Media. Annals of Behavioral Neuroscience. 4. 314-320. 10.18314/abne.v4i1.2108. ↩︎