Social media is great fun but too much social media use can be bad for you.
Here's why you should think about cutting back on it.
A 2017 study found that frequent users of social media found it very difficult to resist certain social media related cues.
Simply seeing the logo of a social media platform on your phone can spark that urge to check it.
This demonstrates just how addicted we've become to social media, and why we should all think of cutting back on our use of it.
Constant comparison of yourself with others
Social media is a breeding ground for comparison and self-criticism.
I think we've all compared ourselves to celebrities, influencers and even friends at one point.
The bad thing about this is we're comparing our whole selves to the perfectly curated and filter images we see of other people's lives on social media which is completely unfair.
Although someone else's life may seem perfect, it's far from it.
Everyone has their own issues but it's hard to remember that when scrolling through Instagram on a Monday night.
The need to prove yourself
Most people only show the highlights of their lives on social media.
This can make many of us feel like we need to prove that our lives are also amazing by posting everything on social media.
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You may think that you need to post a selfie or boomerang every time you go out with your friends or create a highlight on Instagram of every holiday you go on.
There's nothing wrong with doing these things but you should never feel like you have to prove your life is amazing.
As long as you're happy with where you are you shouldn't need the approval of others.
Spending too much time on social media can make you feel like you do.
The neverending stream of negative news stories
There's a lot of awful, scary things happening in the world and although it's good to be informed, the growth of social media means that we're constantly surrounded by all of these negative stories.
Although you can unfollow and mute words and people that often share these negative news stories it's still impossible to get away from them completely.
Reading about all of these negative news stories daily can sometimes have negative impacts on your mental health.
Wasting time
Social media is a huge time waster.
Over the years I'd say I've collectively wasted at least a month of my life mindlessly scrolling on social media, doing nothing in particular.
This is precious time that could be spent with friends and family, learning something new or working towards our goals.
