Counseling for Better Social Media and Technology Habits

As technology has allowed us to become more connected, we’ve enjoyed being able to better keep in touch with friends and family, share the big and small moments of our lives, and have a wealth of information at our fingertips. But the results aren’t all positive; recent research reports that…

• Young people who spend more than two hours a day on social networking sites are more likely to report psychological distress (source)
• Social media usage is directly linked to lack of sleep (source)
• The more social media platforms a person uses, the higher the risk for anxiety and depression (source)
• Teens who spend 5 or more hours a day online were 71% more likely to have at least one risk factor for suicide compared to teens who spent only 1 hour a day online (source)
• Young women who were asked to interact with a post of someone whom they perceived as more attractive felt worse about themselves afterwards (source)

In addition to the insecurity, anxiety, and depression that can come from excessive social media use, using smartphones before bed can make it harder to fall asleep. They can have a negative influence on your relationships, your parenting, your attention span, and your communication skills.

“Social media and the internet have brought so many wonderful benefits to our daily lives and relationships, but they’ve also created new problems we are unequipped to manage. My goal is to educate people about the risks and benefits so that technology works better for us.”