{"id":198,"date":"2023-04-25T20:15:19","date_gmt":"2023-04-25T20:15:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/safespace.co.zw\/?p=198"},"modified":"2023-04-25T20:15:21","modified_gmt":"2023-04-25T20:15:21","slug":"5-ways-social-media-affects-kids-mental-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/safespace.co.zw\/index.php\/2023\/04\/25\/5-ways-social-media-affects-kids-mental-health\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Ways Social Media Affects Kids’ Mental Health"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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<\/a>1. Social Media Causes Low-Self Esteem<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Research shows that the more time people spend on Facebook and Instagram, the more they compare themselves socially. This social comparison is linked, among other things, to lower self-esteem and higher social anxiety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a>2. Too Much Screen Time Causes Sleep Issues<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The light emitted from electronics disrupts our circadian rhythm and thus affects our sleep. More so, the stress and anxiety social media can cause also affects our children\u2019s ability to fall asleep. Lack of sleep also affects your child\u2019s academic performance, behaviour, and appetite, leads to depression, and has a negative effect on their overall well-being.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Social Media Dependence Leads to Less Independence.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Screen time and the use of social media fall under passive activities and do not stimulate the growth or development of your child\u2019s brain. In addition, watching TV and social media apps do not prompt children to engage in critical thinking or hands-on learning. Too much screen time contributes to behavioural problems, learning disabilities, and attention deficit disorder, and deters overall cognitive development. Children are hands-on learners and they need experiences that engage and stimulate their brains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a>4. Peer Pressure or Fear of Missing Out (FOMO).<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In an era where people feel the need to share everything on social media, not being on social media feels like you are disconnected from life. On the flip side, when we see all those around seemingly having a fantastic time, it ignites feelings of FOMO in us because our peers are experiencing something we\u2019re not. FOMO brings out envy, jealousy, and symptoms of depression.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a> 5. Decreased Physical Activity<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There is a direct correlation between more screen time and less physical activity. Children and teens spend more and more time online and in front of screens and less time engaged in active play. This can lead to obesity and other myriads’ health problems.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

1. Social Media Causes Low-Self Esteem Research shows that the more time people spend on Facebook and Instagram, the more they compare themselves socially. This social comparison is linked, among other things, to lower self-esteem and higher social anxiety. 2. Too Much Screen Time Causes Sleep Issues The light emitted from electronics disrupts our circadian […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":199,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-198","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/safespace.co.zw\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/198","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/safespace.co.zw\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/safespace.co.zw\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/safespace.co.zw\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/safespace.co.zw\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=198"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/safespace.co.zw\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/198\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":208,"href":"http:\/\/safespace.co.zw\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/198\/revisions\/208"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/safespace.co.zw\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/199"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/safespace.co.zw\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=198"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/safespace.co.zw\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=198"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/safespace.co.zw\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=198"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}