How can Social Media Platforms be used to Promote Mental Health?
BY: Neighbors’ Consejo|
Social Media platforms have become an integral part of our daily lives connecting us with family and friends, providing entertainment, and allowing us to share our experiences and thoughts with others. However, concerns have been raised about the impact of social media on mental health, with studies suggesting that excessive use can contribute to feelings of anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem.
That is why it is important to explore the various ways in which social media platforms can be used to promote mental health. According to Painted Brain [1] , “far from increasing isolation, social media can provide alternative means of finding support, even helping to lift depression, and as Meetups have shown, provide a healthy excuse to go outside rather than stay cooped up indoors or hunched over a computer.”
However, the use of social media is incredible, as shown by some statistics [2] :
- More than half of the world now uses social media (59%).
- 4.76 billion people around the world now use social media, 137 million new users have come online within the last 12 months.
- The average daily time spent using social media is 2h 31min.
Furthermore, according to the National Library of Medicine [3] , “social media platforms are progressively developing as a rich source of mass communication. Increasing mental health awareness with the help of social media can be a good initiative to reach out the large number of people in a short time frame.” If you want to read their full study “Effective use of social media platforms for promotion of mental health awareness”, please follow https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7325786/
Then, how can we promote positive mental health [4]? “Join groups that educate and inspire; spread positivity online; be a (vocal) positive support system for peers and, use social media to organize in-person events.” And, according to the Discovery Mood and Anxiety Program [5] , we can use the follow platforms for this purpose:
- TikTok: This platform is a way to share a positive message with a larger group of people.
- Twitter: The ideal way to spread that awareness is by getting important topics that are mental health related on the trending list.
- Instagram: This social network reaches people who appear to be searching for posts and hashtags that have to do with self-harm, suicide, cutting, etc.
- Snapchat: Has one to one chatting capabilities that is great for directly spreading mental health awareness.
In conclusion, social media platforms have the potential to be powerful tools for promoting mental wellbeing. From raising awareness about mental health issues to providing support and resources, social media can help connect individuals with the help they need. That is why we invite you to visit Neighbors’ Consejo website https://neighborsc.org/
[1]https://paintedbrain.org/editorial/7-ways-social-media-can-benefit-mental-health-2#:~:text=Far%20from%20increasing%20isolation%2C%20social,or%20hunched%20over%20a%20computer.
[2]https://www.smartinsights.com/social-media-marketing/social-media-strategy/new-global-social-media-research/#:~:text=More%20than%20half%20of%20the,social%20media%20is%202h%2031m.
[3]https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7325786/
[4]https://www.activeminds.org/blog/4-ways-we-can-use-social-media-to-promote-positive-mental-health/
[5]https://discoverymood.com/blog/ways-social-media-promote-mental-health/