Let's talk about it podcast: How social media impacts your mental health
Let's talk about it podcast: How social media impacts your mental health
This podcast provides tips on how to protect your mental health on social media.
Click on the play button below to listen to the podcast.
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Welcome to “Let's talk about it” podcast
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brought to you by Laaha.
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Laaha is an open, online platform
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where women and girls can get information about their health,
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wellbeing, and safety.
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Please remember:
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All content provided on the platform
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is based on scientific knowledge
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for educational purposes only.
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It is not intended to be a substitute
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for professional advice or treatment.
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My name is Ana,
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and today we are going to talk
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about how social media affects
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your feelings and thoughts.
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While social media can be fun and helpful,
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it can also cause problems.
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Spending too much time on social media is
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linked to feeling very sad (depression)
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and feeling very worried (anxiety).
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Using social media a lot
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can also mess up your sleep,
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making it harder to remember things and do well in school.
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The impact of using social media
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can be worse for adolescent girls than boys.
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Let’s talk about why.
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Social media apps
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are designed to keep you hooked.
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The more time you spend on them,
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the more money the companies make.
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They use tricks based on how our brains work,
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like showing things we find tempting
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and giving us rewards,
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to keep us coming back and using the app more.
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Some of the techniques used are:
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Endless scrolling.
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Social media apps are designed
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so that you continuously have access
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to new information.
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And they select content to share with you
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that is tailored to your interests.
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Notifications.
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Notifications keep users engaged
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with the app because they alert you
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when there has been new activity—
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like when someone has “liked”
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or commented on your post
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or when someone you follow on social media
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has posted something new.
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Notifications encourage users
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to constantly check their social media accounts.
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Systems of rewards.
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The platforms have been created
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so that you feel
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that you will be rewarded
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when you use it.
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A reward could be anything
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from getting feedback on posts
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that you shared
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or responses to comments you have made,
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or even being directed towards other posts
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and accounts that interest you.
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Because of how our brains work,
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social media can be very addictive
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and hard to stop using.
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This can happen to adults,
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but kids and teens are at higher risk
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because their brains are still developing
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and might not tell them to stop and take a break.
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Social media apps are designed
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to make you look for feedback from others.
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When you post something,
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you hope to get likes
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and comments to feel good about yourself
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and fit in with your friends.
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These apps make you compare yourself to others,
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like wondering,
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“Did I get as many likes as them?”
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or “Why did they like her post but not mine?”
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This search for likes
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can replace real-life connections.
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Teen brains especially
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look for social connections
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and care a lot about what friends think.
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Social media has also created
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worry or fear of missing out
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(often called FOMO).
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If everyone else is using social media sites,
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and if you do not join in,
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you may be concerned that you will miss
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jokes, connections, or invitations.
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Missing experiences,
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especially for adolescents,
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can create anxiety and depression.
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When people look online and see
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they’re excluded from an activity,
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it can affect their thoughts and feelings.
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Social media can make things look unreal
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because of filters you can use on photos,
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like airbrushing and teeth whitening.
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This can make it seem like
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everyone looks perfect all the time.
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This is especially tough for teens
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whose bodies are changing,
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especially for girls who often worry
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about their body image.
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These filters make it hard to tell
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what’s real and what’s not,
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which is challenging during a time
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when you're already dealing with
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many physical and emotional changes.
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What you can do
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If you are already using social media,
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it can be useful to ask yourself
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“Do you feel like you have control
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over social media,
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or do you feel like it’s controlling you?”
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Asking yourself this question
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encourages you to reflect on when,
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how and for how long you use social media
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and how it makes you feel.
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This is a good place to start.
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There are also some things you can do
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to reduce the negative impact
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it can have on your mental well-being.
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Set limits.
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Limit the time you spend on social media.
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Studies show
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that people who spend less time
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on social media feel less lonely,
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less depressed, and less anxious about missing out.
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Take social media breaks.
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In addition to setting time limits
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when you are using social media,
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it can be helpful to
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periodically take breaks
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from using it altogether.
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This could be something you day for a week,
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or several weeks at a time,
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or maybe one day per week.
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You can do this on a regular basis
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or maybe just when you feel that you need to.
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Monitor how you feel
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during and after using social media.
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Ask yourself:
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“Do I feel bad about myself while looking at this?”
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Notice if/ when you feel uncomfortable,
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worried, sad, or anxious.
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When you have one of these feelings,
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it’s important to stop,
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slow, down, reflect on
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how you’re feeling and
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consider taking a break.
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It is also a good idea
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to notice how you feel
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when you are not using social media
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and how it may be different from when you are.
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Limit the number
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of social media platforms you use.
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It’s up to you if you choose to use social media,
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and if you choose to use a platform
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it doesn’t mean you have to use all of them,
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all the time.
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Keep your accounts private and safe.
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Social media apps usually share
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a lot of your information by default.
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But you can change the settings to control
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who sees your posts,
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who can comment,
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and what kind of comments are allowed.
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Use these settings
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to keep your account private and safe.
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This way,
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you can control what you share and who sees it.
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Remember that social media platforms
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typically have settings defaulted to sharing
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the maximum information
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and allowing maximum engagement from other users.
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Yet, there are options
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on these platforms that make it possible
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to put limits on who sees your account
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and the content you post,
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who can comment
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and what types of comments are acceptable.
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Use these settings to maximize your privacy,
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safety and amount of control you have
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over what you share and with whom.
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If you have more questions or would like to talk to someone
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please feel free to go to Laaha.org
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and find the contact details of a service provider
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near you by clicking on the Find Services button.
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or to search for more articles,
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use the search function or the chatbot.
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