Social Media and Mental Health

A young man wearing a grey hoodie and looking at his phone while he sits on the grass and leans against a tree.

Being connected is a big part of our lives. But if you’re seeing stuff online which makes you feel angry, sad, worried, stressed, or annoyed, this can build up and start having a negative impact on your life.

For example, you might start worrying more about how you look or what you’re missing out on.

If you ever feel overwhelmed by the online world, unable to switch off, or find it difficult to cope, you’re not alone. We all struggle to keep our online world positive sometimes.

Worrying about Israel and Gaza

The ongoing war in Palestine and Israel is devastating. You may find that you're seeing some particularly upsetting content on your social media feed. You might be feeling hopeless, anxious, frustrated and excluded from the decisions being made by those in power. If you’ve been affected by what’s happening, or what you’re reading on your feed, you are not alone. Please know that the feelings of anxiety or trauma you may be experiencing are valid, and there are ways to regain a sense of hope, community and power in times like these. Take a look at the advice in our blog to help you cope and find the right support.

What to do if the conflict in the Middle East is impacting your mental health

Understanding your social media feed

#OwnYourFeed for a more positive time online

#OwnYourFeed

Before you can make social media a more positive place to be, you need to find out what kind of feed you have. Have a scroll through your feed for five minutes and write down five words that describe your feed.

Tips for having a more positive time online

If you've noticed your mental health being affected by social media, there are things you can do to help you have a more positive time online.

Take a look at our top three tips below.

It’s not always easy to tell why you’re feeling down when you’re online. Take some time to go through your social media feed to work out what’s making you feel good, and what’s not.

Emoji post it notes describing how your post might make you feel. — At the top of the image, the text reads: Clean your feed. Underneath that there is smaller text which reads: How do the posts you see make you feel? The first post-it note is of a smiley face emoji with the text: Wahey! Keep it coming. The next post-it note is a sleeping emoji with the text: Bored? Worth your time? The third post-it is the angry emoji with the text: Angry, probably unfollow. The fourth is an emoji with no mouth, it reads: Speechless, good way or bad? The next is a smiley emoji with two hands that reads: Inspired, share the love. The final post-it has a sad face with the text: negative, nobody needs this.

Use these tips to help you:

Unfollow or mute accounts

Try unfollowing or muting accounts that annoy you, upset you, or take up too much of your time.

Delete social media apps

Remember you don’t have to be on every social media channel. Try deleting one app from your phone for a week and see what happens.

Limit your time online

Try limiting your time on social media before you go to sleep and when you first wake up.

Think before you post

Before you post or comment ask yourself: am I doing something positive for myself and the people who’ll see this?

Use the emoji scale

Use our emoji scale to work out how stuff in your social media feed is making you feel.

Whatever your passions are in life, you’re not alone. There are accounts out there that will interest and excite you, and help you explore your passions.

Being part of a positive online community can give a boost to your mental health.

Here are some tips to help you find yours:

Explore and discover

See which accounts people you enjoy following follow themselves, and explore the hashtags they use to discover more stuff like it. Don’t forget to shout out positive people by liking, commenting and sharing their posts.

Positive content

Follow accounts that make you feel good, keep you interested and share positive content (e.g. @youngmindsuk).

Build your feed

Build your own positive following, as well as following positive people. Did you know that you can select who follows you and what they see?

You are not alone

You are not alone. Whatever your passion is, there will be other people online who share it. Find like-minded online communities and use social media to fuel your passions.

Be aware

It's important to remember that while many online mental health communities are positive spaces, some can be negative for you and your recovery. Avoid any spaces that encourage you to do things which are harmful for your physical or mental health. If you're struggling with things you're experiencing online, talk to someone you trust.

Four young people huddle round together, smiling and laughing, looking at a phone that the person in the middle is holding. They stand inside a campus building.

You never know what someone else is going through and, whether you realise it or not, your support could make all the difference.

Social media is a great place to let your friends know you haven’t forgotten them, that you care about them and that they matter – and getting involved in making the online world a more positive place to be could give you a boost too!

Here are some tips to get you started:

Support causes

What change would you like to see in the world? Use your feed to support the causes you care about and help make them happen.

Check in with yourself

Check your mood before using social media, and think about what you’re going on there to do before you dive in. Ask yourself: is social media going to make me feel better or worse right now?

Positive communities

Remember: not all the advice you get online is from experts, even if it comes from people who know what you are going through. Positive communities will never advise you to do anything harmful, or anything which makes you feel worse.

Real stories from young people about using social media

Top tech tips and advice from an O2 Guru

Take a look at our top tips from an O2 Guru for helping you have a more positive time on social media and online.

For a more positive feed, follow us on Instagram.

Apps like Facebook, Instagram and YouTube make it easy to track your time online, whether you're on iOS or Android.
For Facebook, go to More > Settings and privacy > Your time on Facebook.
For Instagram, go to Your account > More > Settings and your activity.
You can set daily reminders telling you how long you've been using an app. On Facebook for example, go to Your time on Facebook > Set daily reminder. Then set your ideal daily usage.
Apps like Hold are handy, especially if you're trying to focus on studying. Hold rewards you for putting your phone down. You get 'pocket points' which can be exchanged for coffee vouchers and cinema tickets.

Meditation apps like Calm have stories that can help you get to sleep, as well as daily breathing exercises that help you relax. Calm even has masterclasses taught by world-renowned experts.

If you'd like to switch off the blue night your screen emits at night, some phones have night mode.
iOS
Go to Settings > Control Centre > Night Shift
Older iPhones have shortcuts to Night Shift if you swipe up from the bottom of the screen. The shortcut on newer iPhones appears if you drag down from the top right of the screen.
Android
Android devices often have an 'eye comfort' mode. This setting can be found by dragging your finger down from the top of the screen and tapping 'eye comfort'. If you press and hold this option, you'll also find a convenient schedule option to save you more work.
When you need to unwind, you may find that something simple like trying an audiobook rather than reading on your phone may help. Apps like Audible come with a 30-day free trial.

For free advice, pop into any O2 shop to speak to an O2 Guru. Whether you're an O2 customer or not, you can chat to a Guru about setting up your phone and choose apps to work for you.

Dealing with online bullying

a-young-woman-with-curly-hair-and-in-grey-shirt-and-black-shorts-with-face-unseen-has-her-hands-wrapped-another-young-woman-with-shaved-hair-and-in-white-shirt-and-blakc-trousers-talking-to-her-while-they-sat-on-the-grass-with-a-tree-and-building-on-their-background

Bullying is never okay, whether it's at school, at home, or on the internet. If you're being harassed or upset in any way online, reach out for help from someone you trust.

You can block and report the people involved, or, if you don’t feel able to block someone, try muting them - they won’t know you’ve muted them and you won’t have to see their posts or messages.

You can also use the privacy settings on your social networks to limit what they can see on your profile.

Find out how to block, report or mute people on social media.

Graphic by crazyheadcomics that shows a list of things it's okay to do on social media to look after your mental health. — Graphic by @crazyheadcomics that shows a list of things it's okay to do on social media to look after your mental health.

How to block, mute or report other accounts

A boy wearing a grey t-shirt sits beside a window while using Facebook on his laptop.

All social media channels have similar ways to reduce negative content, so check the help sections to find out how to make your online world more positive.

You can also report anything you find abusive, harmful or upsetting on all social media channels. Find out how to report things on:

Try these five tips for reducing negative content on Instagram:

Restrict

When you restrict someone, any comments they leave on your posts will only be visible to them. They won't be able to see when you're active on Instagram, and they won't know whether you've read a direct message from them.
Comment filter

You can let Instagram know if there are specific words, phrases or emojis you don't want to see and they will not come up on your posts again. You can do this in your privacy settings.
Comment warning

Instagram notifies people if they are writing a comment that other people may consider offensive before it’s posted. This can be a good opportunity to reflect on whether you really want to post something, and how it might impact someone else.
Muting

If you mute another account, you will still be following them, but you can decide when you want to view their content. The account you've muted won't know you've muted them, so it's a good way to make your feed more positive while avoiding any potential conflict that may come from unfollowing or blocking someone.
Blocking

If you block someone, you won't see their content anymore, they won't see yours either, and your account won't appear in their searches or suggestions.

A girl wearing glasses sitting on the end of her bed while using her laptop.

If you are experiencing online bullying, you need to report it. You need to remember that the people who are hurting you might be hurt themselves. You are never alone and your problems are not insignificant.

How I coped with online bullying

Looking after your privacy

Here’s some advice to help you work out what to share, how to avoid oversharing, and how to look after your privacy.

What you put online stays online. Even things you delete can be saved or screenshotted - including those Snapchat snaps meant for just one friend.
Privacy is possible. Make sure you use social media site settings to protect your information. Don't hesitate to block anyone who makes you feel uncomfortable.
Online strangers are still strangers. Forums and group chats can be a great way to connect over things you wouldn't say face to face, but don't feel pressured to share more than you feel comfortable with.
It's easy to over-share on social media sites, especially if you forget who can see your profile. You can use social media channel settings to create lists so that only people you trust can see all your updates. For example, Instagram allows you to make your account private, or you can use the Close Friends tool to share your stories with a group of people you've chosen.

Get help now

See below for a list of organisations and helpline services that have information to support you.

Childline

If you’re under 19 you can confidentially call, chat online or email about any problem big or small.

Sign up for a free Childline locker (real name or email address not needed) to use their free 1-2-1 counsellor chat and email support service.

Can provide a BSL interpreter if you are deaf or hearing-impaired.

Hosts online message boards where you can share your experiences, have fun and get support from other young people in similar situations.

Opening times:

24/7

0800 11 11

Childline
Youth Access

Provides information about local counselling and advice services for young people aged 11-25.

Put in your location and what you need help with into their 'Find help' search, and see what services are available in your area.

Youth Access

Whether you love the page or think something is missing, we appreciate your feedback. It all helps us to support more young people with their mental health.

Please be aware that this form isn’t a mental health support service. If you are in crisis right now and want to talk to someone urgently, find out who to contact on our urgent help page.

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This form is not a mental health support service. We cannot reply to this. If you are at risk of immediate harm, call 999 and ask for an ambulance or go to your nearest A&E. If you are worried about your mental health, call: Childline (for under 19s) on 0800 11 11; or Samaritans on 116 123.

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