We recently reported on App Researcher Jane Manchun Wong’s findings about Facebook conducting tests to show only a specific number of likes on a post. Additionally, the same type of tests are being carried out by the king of social media in seven different countries on its Instagram app.
It’s hard to deny the fact that the urge to get more “likes” have induced a feeling of constant competition and social pressure in us. Although social media should be used by users to connect with their friends and family members living far away and update them about the ongoing activities in their life, it has now become a platform where users struggle to get more likes and engagement than others. This has a negative impact on the mental health.
The decision to reduce the number of visible likes can have a positive effect on the mental health of young people. Recently, a research was conducted by UK’s Royal Society for Public Health. 1,479 people aged between 14 and 24 years took part in the survey. The results show impact of the top 5 social networks on the mental health of young people, ranked from best to worst.
14 factors were considered for the survey including loneliness, self-image, anxiety, depression etc. According to the results, Instagram has the most negative effect on the mental health of young people, followed by Snapchat, Facebook and Twitter. YouTube, on the other hand, emerged as the network having the most positive effect.
Chart: Statista.
Read next: Screen Time Is Consuming the Reality of the Daily Life
It’s hard to deny the fact that the urge to get more “likes” have induced a feeling of constant competition and social pressure in us. Although social media should be used by users to connect with their friends and family members living far away and update them about the ongoing activities in their life, it has now become a platform where users struggle to get more likes and engagement than others. This has a negative impact on the mental health.
The decision to reduce the number of visible likes can have a positive effect on the mental health of young people. Recently, a research was conducted by UK’s Royal Society for Public Health. 1,479 people aged between 14 and 24 years took part in the survey. The results show impact of the top 5 social networks on the mental health of young people, ranked from best to worst.
14 factors were considered for the survey including loneliness, self-image, anxiety, depression etc. According to the results, Instagram has the most negative effect on the mental health of young people, followed by Snapchat, Facebook and Twitter. YouTube, on the other hand, emerged as the network having the most positive effect.
Chart: Statista.
Read next: Screen Time Is Consuming the Reality of the Daily Life
