Study: Instagram Is Worst Social Media Platform For Mental Health

A recent study was conducted by the Royal Society of Public Health (RSPH) and the Young Health Movement on the effects of social media platforms on the mental health of today’s mobile users. What the research team did was poll about 1,500 consumers based in the United Kingdom, especially those between 14 years old to 24 years old. 

Needless to say, the results of their survey is pretty interesting. For one, the worst social media platform affecting mental health among consumers is Instagram. The researchers specifically cited the photo sharing app as having the most negative impact not only on the body image of today’s mobile users, but also on their self expression and self identity. The results showed that half of those surveyed in the study had experienced aggravated feelings of anxiety. Moreover, about 70 percent of those who were polled admitted that Instagram made them feel worse about their body image.

When the RSPH asked the respondents, most of their answers centered around how Instagram instantly made them compare themselves to the owners of the Instagram accounts they are following. Following the experiences of strangers (celebrities they may be) is nothing new in this day and age, but the problem is exacerbated because people start to think that they will never be as pretty, funny, engaging, charming, and sexy as their Instagram idols. 

Speaking of celebrities, even those that are already popular are not exempt from the mental health effects of Instagram. For instance, rap superstar Bow Wow ignited a meme called the Bow Wow Challenge when it was discovered that he posted a fake image of a private jet on his Instagram. The truth was that he was only flying commercial.

Apart from Instagram, the RSPH and the Young Health Movement also looked into the effects of other popular social media platforms. Next to Instagram, the next worst are Snapchat, and then Facebook and Twitter. The fifth social media platform surveyed was YouTube, and the study’s results indicate that the Google owned video sharing platform so far was considered the best in terms of its effects on users’ mental health. According to the research team, YouTube had a more positive impact on consumers because of its ability to encourage awareness and understanding not only of other users’ health experiences, but also their self expression as well.