A Review of the Adverse Effects of Social Media on Women’s Mental Health

Description

Page: 599-603

Prakat Karki¹ and Rishabh Sharma² (Department of Psychology, CHRIST (Deemed to be) University, Bangalore, Karnataka¹ and Department of Psychology, University of London, United Kingdom (UK)²)

The incredible rise of internet and smart technologies in the previous few decades has transformed communication and networking between people in most societies worldwide. Social media has emerged as one of the marvels of the internet age and millions of people regularly use a number of social media applications for various purposes. While it has many benefits in increasing social connectedness and easing communication, social media also has a number of negative consequences as evidenced by recent studies. Excessive social media use can be detrimental to younger age groups and also females according to a number of research studies. In this short review, the research evidence on the negative effects of social media use on women was examined and the most salient points were discussed in the context of the transforming digital landscape. There is sound evidence that social media use fosters social comparison among young girls/women and this can lead to issues in body image, depression, anxiety, and other mental health disorders. Gender differences are inherent in internet and social media use among the two sexes right since childhood., The growing realization of the negative consequences of social media posits a reconsideration of the extent to which technologies are integrated into our daily lives. The review also discusses the implications of the research evidence for parents, school administrators, professionals, and policymakers.