The Secret Stressors of Social Media

‍Maria shares that interestingly enough, social media is so intertwined in the lives of today’s youth, it simply just is. They may not always be conscious of the impact social media has on them. But in reality, Maria believes that it is common for today’s youth to experience the following:

1. Spending too much time on meaningless activities. While social media is great to foster connection, for instance, being able to share pictures with friends, at times it can also incentivise aimlessness. For instance, social media apps gamified to motivate people to hit streaks can cause you to spend time on it simply for the sake of hitting these arbitrary goals.  
2. Feelings of FOMO (fear of missing out). With social media, you are constantly aware of the stream of activities your social circle is partaking in, with or without you. This can cause feelings of missing out, being left out and mistaking other people’s actions and intentions, which may damage real relationships.
3. Inability to rest. Scrolling and consuming endless media means that the mind is constantly engaged and actively processing information. When this goes on for hours in a day and well into the night, the brain and body is unable to recuperate and get the rest needed to function well in other areas of your life.  
4. Unrealistic expectations of perfection. The rise of online influencers and the proliferation of sponsored posts to showcase their seemingly shiny lives has caused young people to believe that they too need to chase a lifestyle that is perfect in every aspect. This expectation has also spilled over into their education where students are focused on performing and attaining perfect grades rather than learning and developing. Anything less than that would be considered a failure.

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What can adults do to help?

‍Simply telling kids to get off social media is not going to work, that’s for sure. So what can adults do to help young people navigate these stressors and improve their well-being? Maria recommends the following 3 constructive actions:

1. Invite our youth to be part of the solution. The first thing adults need to do is acknowledge that they do not truly know what it’s like for young people living in a digital age. Therefore, students need to be given a seat at the table and a voice in designing solutions. This can come in the form of youth representatives in working groups or even student polls and surveys to understand student sentiment on a large scale.
2. Educate young people on the impact of social media. This includes widespread education on the side effects of social media, being critical of information sources which could be faked or photoshopped and hosting dialogues in schools which could feature both expert and student perspectives. Additionally, adults could also help kids think about their social media usage habits by asking reflective non-judgmental questions.
3. Be a safe place for kids to reach out. If kids run into issues or are in need of help, they should know that there are safe places they can turn to. At times, young people may not feel like they can confide in their own parents. But instead of letting them figure it out on their own, watch out for the well-being of your children’s friends or the students in your school. Let them know that you’re available for a chat and that they can come to you for help. After all, it takes a village to raise a child.

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StudentPulse helps connect students to what they need

‍At StudentPulse we seek to empower educational institutions to better understand students’ needs by combining microsurveys with real-time data analytics. One of our most popular features is StudentPulse Connect, whereby if a student’s feedback on a survey indicates help is needed, the student is automatically directed to the relevant service.
This allows students to get help on an individual level, at the exact time when help is needed. Imagine a student struggling with social and emotional pressures to maintain perfect grades. Being able to indicate that they urgently need help and be directed to a counsellor or a volunteer in real-time will make a world of a difference in protecting their mental well-being.To learn more about StudentPulse Connect, feel free to reach out to our team today or click here to listen to the full version of our illuminating podcast with Maria on social media stressors and how we can support today’s youth.

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