Did you know that approximately 64.7% of the world population uses social media, which makes up 5.31 billion people, scrolling endlessly over its various platforms? Whether engaging with the Instagram feed or getting lost in the sea of short TikTok videos, today’s users are deeply involved, influencing every aspect of their mental well-being. Still wondering how social media and mental health are intertwined?
According to the Electro IQ reports, social media is responsible for a 70% increment in teens’ depression, and 41% of Gen Z social media users claim that it is the cause of their depression, anxiety, or sadness. Thus, it’s a proven fact from thousands of studies that a connection between social media and mental health is ruining our youth in the age of Instagram and TikTok.
In this article, we will go into the effects of social media on mental health and explore the practical solutions in 2025. So, let’s dive into using your social media in a more mindful way!
What Are Social Media Mental Health Challenges in the Age of Instagram & TikTok and Their Solutions?
In 2025, millions of people depend on Instagram and TikTok as they consider them their digital lifelines rather than simply as platforms. As digital society constantly changes over time, users, especially teenagers and young adults, frequently experience emotional exhaustion and mental health issues. As it is the hot topic of 2025, teachers mostly assign students to work on social media mental health assignments and explore social media effects on mental health.
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So, if you also got an assignment and are now struggling to work on it, you can acquire assistance from UK-based assignment writing services. Their experts can streamline the task with their invaluable mental health knowledge and expertise.
The following are some common social media and mental health challenges of Gen Z users, along with expert-suggested solutions.
1. Comparison Anxiety & Low Self-Esteem
You may feel inferior as a result of endless feeds of photoshopped images, viral trends, and luxurious lives. You may also create self-doubt, which is frequently brought on by the pressure to appear to have an ideal life suitable for Instagram existence.
The following are essential solutions to handle this challenging situation:
- Create Your Feed with Purpose: You should follow accounts that give you confidence rather than insecurity.
- Unfollow Triggers: You have to unfollow or mute websites that create doubts about your personality.
- Practice Gratitude Journaling: You should create an offline appreciation notebook by listing the things in your life that you are grateful for.
- Implement Statements: You should encourage yourself every day to turn your attention inside.
2. Fear of Missing Out
You may feel excluded or left out when you see others go to events, travel, or achieve success, even if you are happy with your own life. This is the time when social media and mental health correlate and affect your well-being.
The following are essential solutions:
- Don’t Spend Too Much Time Scrolling: You have to set particular times of day to use social media.
- Find Pleasure Offline: You should arrange other offline activities that bring you joy, such as hiking, reading, or drawing.
- Take Pauses While Using Social Media: You have to take off from social media for a day or weekend and then monitor your feelings.
3. Addiction to Likes, Shares & Validation
How does social media affect mental health? Sometimes you feel anxiety when your post does not perform well. You may remove information that does not receive enough attention, which results in performance-based posting, instead of promoting genuine expressions.
The following are a few Solutions:
- Distinguish Value From Measurements: You should realise that likes don’t represent your actual worth.
- Post with Purpose: You should share what’s important to you instead of what’s popular.
- Limit Notifications: You have to turn off notifications that are not absolutely necessary to you.
4. Digital Burnout
Your mental energies can be drained due to continuously being exposed to messages, trends, material, and viral challenges. This is the digital version of burnout, and it is real due to the connection between social media and mental health. However, if you are suffering from depression or burnout, you should make use of natural ways to calmly deal with stress.
The following are a few important solutions:
- Arrange Phone-free Times: You can set your phone time by scrolling one hour in the morning and one hour just before bedtime.
- Practice Digital Mindfulness: You have to engage with digital awareness by refocusing with applications such as Headspace or Forest.
- Batch Your Time: You can save your time by just checking applications two or three times a day rather than constantly running them.
5. Cyberbullying & Online Harassment
If your content goes viral, you may get frequent body shaming, trolling, hurtful comments, and social call-outs. These can all create anxiety, tension, and even chronic emotional damage from online harassment.
The following are a few essential solutions for this problem:
- Use Filtering and Blocking Tools: You can minimise the effects of social media on mental health by blocking specific phrases and comments on Instagram and TikTok.
- Report Abuse Quickly: You should report the abuse immediately, as it can protect both social media and mental health.
- Speak with a Trusted Person: You have to talk with trusted people about your situation, such as your teacher, parents, or counsellor.
- Avoid Interacting with Trolls: Your strength is in your silence, as their purpose is to disturb you only.
6. Sleep Disruption & Insomnia
You can get disturbed in your natural sleep cycles by late-night scrolling, as social media affects mental health badly. It’s more difficult to go to sleep and remain asleep because of blue light and content excitement.
The following are a few Solutions:
- Maintain a Tech Curfew: You should maintain a strict schedule to power down devices at least half an hour before bed.
- Create a Relaxing Bedtime Routine: You have to replace browsing social media with reading a book.
- Always Keep Your Phone out of the Room: While charging, as when it is out of eyesight, it is also out of your mind.
7. Perfectionism & Pressure to Perform
The students, especially those who try to stay up or content creators fighting the race of being a perfectionist, often find it difficult to handle the pressure of social media. Being active at all times can cause stress, fatigue, and perfectionism for them. It is the best example of the impact of social media on mental health.
The following are a few essential solutions:
- Accept What goes on Behind the Scenes: You should provide real facts instead of using only well-looking pictures.
- Take Pauses from Creating Content: It’s acceptable to stop and relax while creating your content.
- Avoid Perfectionism: You should always prioritise growth over likes and celebrate progress rather than perfection.
Is Social Media Bad for Mental Health?
It is not the platform that is responsible for affecting mental health; rather, it is about the use of social media, like how much time you spend on it, and how you consume its content. Yes, according to McLean Hospital, there is a very thin line between social media and mental health that can get blurred due to spending too much time comparing oneself to others, chasing likes, or absorbing bad content. Thus, it results in anxiety, poor self-esteem, and even depression among users.
However, this digital technology may also be empowering and uplifting when used deliberately to create, learn, and connect. So, balancing your activities and using the platform mindfully is important to ensure your mental well-being.
What Age Group’s Mental Health is Most Affected by Social Media?
WHO reports showed that over 1 in 10 teens, which makes up about 11%, face social media affecting mental health, and undergo the negative effects because of it. Moreover, studies show that girls are more affected than boys, with 13% of girls struggling compared to 9% of boys.
As teenagers of 13 to 24 are often developing and struggling with their emotions, they are more vulnerable to being affected by the excessive use of social media.
What Social Groups are Most at Risk of Developing Mental Health Problems?
The following social groups are most at risk of developing mental health problems:
- The group of teens and young adults who regularly utilise social media sites, including Instagram and TikTok.
- The marginalised groups that are famous for hate speech, injustice, or false representation online.
- The groups of influencers or innovators are continuously under pressure to perform and impress audiences.
Why Does Social Media Cause Anxiety?
University of California states that comparing yourself with others, giving more than usual time to the screen, and the pressure to keep up with fleeting trends make it emotionally challenging for Gen Z, causing anxiety and depression. As social media’s life is under filters and you cannot get the actual picture of others, it creates more pressure on youth to compare their flaws with others’ curated lives.
Along with that, the pressure to pop out as a social media star, win the race of likes and followers, and the FOMO of being left alone also leads you to low self-esteem and depression. Additionally, now the use of AI in cyberbullying is adding fuel to the fire and causing more people to be affected by the impact of social media on mental health.
Final Thoughts
No one can deny the fact that social media and mental health are interrelated, especially for youngsters who completely depend on Instagram and TikTok. Although these platforms are meant to inspire, entertain, and connect, they also present significant mental health issues. To manage these platforms without totally eliminating them, we have covered the main mental health issues that arise from excessively using them and provided workable, professional-backed answers.
Along with that, if excessive use of social media has impacted your mental health negatively, you can’t focus on your academics as well, and you have a lot of pending homework. You may contact assignment writing firms in the UK. Professionals simplify the process and guide you to efficiently complete your homework on time. So, it is not social media that is responsible for affecting mental health; it all depends on how you use it. By using the given solutions, you can improve your screen time habits and empower yourself!
Author Bio
Ada H. Davis is an assignment writing expert and a keen researcher who loves to explore different realistic topics and solve problems. She has more than 5 years of experience in this field, guiding students on how they can effectively complete their assignments by avoiding common pitfalls.
