Below are a few strategies users can implement to be able to combat the negative effects commonly experienced on social media.
- Be mindful of your social media habits.
- Be mindful of any patterns present in your normal social media use. For example, are you more likely to use social media when you wake up, before bed, or during in person social environments?
- Take note of the total time you spend on social media in an average day.
- Specifically, how do you use social media? Are you mindlessly scrolling through your feed? Looking at memes in the explore tab? Watching peers posts and profiles? Or messaging, commenting, and interacting with other users?
- Set limits on the amount of time you spend on social media.
- Studies have shown that the use of social media, on average, will have a negative effect on a person’s mental health due to the current social climate present on social media. To help manage and control the exposure to that harmful social environment one can set rules for them to follow. Such as, no smartphone use an hour before bed or an hour within waking up. Furthermore, individuals with an Apple phone have access to a setting that can restrict the use of selected apps after spending a designated amount of time on them.
- Know when it’s time to give up on the scrolling.
- Be responsible and realize when you have been spending an unreasonable or unhealthy amount of time scrolling on social media. Exercise discipline and engage in a different hobby when you find yourself spending excessive time on social media.
- If an account causes negative emotions don’t hesitate. Unfollow.
- With the ever growing amount of social media presences there is no use in following an account that inspires negativity. There are an endless amount of people to follow, and your time will be better spent following someone who inspires you or affects you positively.
- Be mindful of your own social media presence.
- Practice making yourself a positive presence on social media. Positivity begets more positivity, when interacting with other users attempt to maintain a positive and supportive presence.
