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Young adults deciding to experiment with drugs and alcohol is nothing new. However, in the digital age, social media offers new and dangerous opportunities to influence young adults. Teenagers and young adults are uniquely impressionable to what they see on social media because they are also highly susceptible to peer influences and pressures. Seeing others participate in risky behavior can cause those influenced to also engage in such behavior.
Because social media connects all people, including celebrities and influencers, seeing a person of such status posting pictures and videos of them with drinks in hand, getting high, or at a party can normalize and glamorize this illicit behavior. It can also lead to the development of substance use disorder (SUD). Since most people have multiple social media accounts that they reference daily, seeing this kind of behavior is becoming harder to avoid. Studies show that this kind of exposure has a negative impact – especially on youth.
Normalizing Negative Behavior
There are countless social media pages dedicated to individuals making poor decisions. These pages include acting inappropriately while under the influence of drugs and alcohol. While one might think this would discourage people, it encourages many people to post pictures and videos of them doing the same. Such behavior normalizes substance use and desensitizes impressionable youth to thinking that this is acceptable behavior. Those trying to abstain from using substances may find it difficult and even tempting when their social media pages include such posts.
Perpetuates Mental Health Problems
Drug exposure through marketing and advertising on social media is a catalyst for causing mental health problems. Social media can perpetuate social comparison in an environment where everything is curated, exaggerating young adults pre-disposed to mental health disorders such as depression, insomnia, and eating disorders.
Even if you know that images you’re viewing on social media are manipulated, they can still make you feel insecure about how you look or what’s going on in your own life. Other people tend to share just the highlights of their lives, rarely the low points that everyone experiences. But that doesn’t lessen those feelings of envy and dissatisfaction when you’re scrolling through a friend’s airbrushed photos of their tropical beach holiday or reading about their exciting new promotion at work.
FOMO (Fear of Missing Out)
Fear of missing out or FOMO is a common expression used to describe a young adult who behaves a certain way because of what they see others doing. In the context of social media, seeing other friends, family, and people of status partake in drinking or using can create anxiety and pressure the individual also to use. Even young adults who choose not to go out can succumb to the pressures of FOMO, and after seeing enough posts, they decide to go out and partake. The dangers of FOMO promote participating in risky acts and behaviors, but this can also develop an unhealthy and chronic stress response such as anxiety and worry that can control one's behavior based on others’ actions. Turning one's attention outward instead of inward can cause a person to lose their sense of identity and therefore hinder healthy growth as an individual.
Cyber- Bullying and Peer Pressure
Peer pressure goes beyond what is seen vicariously in posts and videos to becoming an active response from one individual to another. Cyber-bullying is prevalent on social media and can make a person feel inadequate, impacting one's mental state. Cyber-bullying can happen through a direct message or a post for everyone to see. Such behaviors can create or worsen feelings of depression, anxiety, and stress. The effects of cyber-bullying on an individual can lead to self-medicating with drugs or alcohol, or it can trigger a relapse response for those already in recovery.
How to Combat Social Media Influence?
Evaluate your social media habits. When you can realize your habits and patterns, you might pinpoint what is triggering your response to participating in risky behavior. For example, do you connect to social media upon waking or before bed? It can influence how you operate your day; it can even contribute to the quality of sleep you get at night. Next, evaluate how much time you spend on social media. If a large portion of your day is living vicariously through posts, you will want to reassess your day. Consider creating a schedule for yourself that maps out your social media use and activities you can engage in between. Most apps now have a daily usage allotment that you can track and use to limit the amount of time you spend on a specific app. Finally, ask yourself, do you feel better or worse after using social media? If you feel worse, then why continue to use it? Try to find spaces on the internet where you can feel better.
Social media has become a central focus in recent years for its impact on substance use mental health disorders. Many healthcare professionals are working to find effective ways to cope with social media's harmful effects on health. At START UP Recovery, we recognize that social media is part of our culture and helps those understand how they use social media, including ways to avoid the negative aspects. We also believe in how powerful and positive social media can be, which is why we seek to find the best in people to transform into a self-sufficient individual who leads by positive example instead of living under the influence of negative people. If you are struggling to control your social media consumption, and it is beginning to negatively impact your life, it may be time to seek help. Your health and recovery always come first. To learn more, reach out to START UP Recovery today at (310) 773-3809.