Social media is woven into daily life for most college students and young adults. It’s how many people keep up with friends, find communities, follow news, and unwind at the end of the day. Those connections can be valuable, especially when you’re living away from home or starting over in a new place.
At the same time, these platforms can be addictive and destructive. Social media platforms are designed to hold one’s attention at all costs. Hours spent on social media can easily affect your mood and self-image. If your online habits are leaving you anxious, self-conscious, or depressed, it’s worth examining them more closely.
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Doomscrolling and Anxiety: How Your Phone Can Keep You Stuck
“Doomscrolling” is the habit of endlessly scrolling through upsetting news and posts, even when it leaves you feeling worse. It often starts with a simple desire to stay informed on current news. However, a constant stream of bad news or negative content can keep your mind engaged even while making you feel sad or anxious. The Cleveland Clinic notes that doomscrolling can worsen the negative feelings that led us to seek such content in the first place.
Research has linked doomscrolling to higher levels of existential anxiety among university students, which led to more worries about humanity and the meaning of life. Another study of college students connected doomscrolling to greater stress and depressive symptoms.
The Cleveland Clinic offers some helpful strategies to break the cycle of doomscrolling. These include:
- Keeping your phone out of reach or in another room, especially at night before sleep
- Choosing a set time or two each day to check the news, rather than reaching for it whenever you feel uneasy
- Finding more positive social media feeds to follow
- Noticing how your body feels while you scroll, and putting the phone down when you feel tense
- Replacing the social media habit with something productive or self-care activities, like taking a walk, making plans with friends, or volunteering
Social Media and Self-Esteem in Young Adults: What to Know
Doomscrolling is one way social media can impact your mental health, but comparison with others can be just as harmful. Over time, measuring yourself against others can impact your self-esteem. This kind of comparison with those we perceive as “better off” or more successful is called upward comparison.
Research confirms that upward comparison can harm one’s body image, self-esteem, and overall psychological well-being. One study among adolescents found that higher social media use is tied to worse feelings in both self-esteem and body image. In fact, a 2024 study found that women who took a week-long break from social media reported significant boosts in both of these areas.
UC Davis Health recommends some ways to decrease the negative effects of social media. These include:
- Evaluating your relationship to social media and asking how it affects you
- Setting hard time limits on your social media apps in your phone
- Unfollowing any accounts that lead you toward upward comparison or that make you feel badly about yourself
- Prioritizing in-person connections with others
- Using outside activities as tools to develop your confidence and meet new friends
Is Social Media Making You Feel More Alone? Understanding the Connection
Social media is based on connection with others, but those connections may not always be fulfilling. One study found that young adults who used social media most often were more likely to feel socially isolated than those who used it least. Some studies have even found this holds true regardless of how one uses social media. Research also suggests that young women are more likely to experience loneliness as a result of passive scrolling.
There may be a two-way relationship between loneliness and social media. Feeling isolated may lead people to spend more time online. At the same time, heavy social media use may only deepen that isolation.
Social media isn’t unhealthy by nature, and it doesn’t lead to more loneliness in all cases. It can also help you make strong, lasting connections. The reason you use social media matters. So does the way you use it and the frequency you engage with it. However, if social media is making you feel more isolated, it’s worth reducing or redirecting its role in your life.
How Constant Notifications Affect Attention, Anxiety, and Stress
Apart from direct use, social media notifications can distract you and keep you on edge. In some ways, the anticipation can be just as distracting as the notification itself. One study found that individuals reported more inattention and hyperactivity when their phone notifications were on versus off. These feelings were tied to reduced productivity and well-being.
Notifications can easily set off a cycle of constant checking and scrolling. Disabling notifications can help one resist that cycle. The Jed Foundation recommends moving social media app icons off your phone’s home screen. Replacing notifications with scheduled social media check-ins can be helpful. Using your phone’s Focus or Do Not Disturb modes can also make it easier to direct your attention away from the apps. These are minor adjustments, but they can reduce the space that social media occupies in your mind moment to moment.
Find Support for Your Mental Health at Luna Recovery for Women
Social media is a big part of our everyday lives. It’s normal to want to stay up to date on the news or make the occasional comparison with others. However, social media use can easily become a drain on your mental health and self-image. If this is the case, consultation with your primary care provider or a therapist can help you understand what you’re experiencing and determine what support may be appropriate.
If you are struggling with anxiety or self-esteem and are looking for a treatment program, we are here to help. Luna Recovery for Women is proud to offer women-centered mental health and addiction treatment that empowers women to heal in a compassionate, supportive, and understanding environment.
To learn more about treatment options, and our Brookline, MA location catered to college students, please contact Luna Recovery for Women at (888) 491-3722 today.