engleski

Mental health problems and use of social media during COVID-19 outbreak

The coronavirus pandemic has caused many of us to shift our lives to digital tech platforms, especially social media and social networking sites, all experiencing strong growth as much of the world’s population isolates itself. Previous research has shown that more people are relying on social media to find and share health information during times of crisis. Although there are positive side-effects to using social media throughout COVID-19, including being able to connect with friends and family and using new- found free time to produce creative content, any increase in the amount someone uses social media can affect their mental and physical health. Aim of this presentation was to present recent researches’ findings regarding association between use of social media during COVID-19 pandemic and mental health problems. Judging by recent spikes in depression and anxiety, use of social media does little or nothing to answer deeply felt need for face-to-face, meaningful human contact. Social media use is rewarding up to a point, as it provides informational, emotional and peer support related to COVID-19 health topics. Excessive social media use during the pandemic is a predictor of symptoms of anxiety, depression and secondary trauma. Results imply that taking a social media break may promote well-being during the pandemic, which is crucial to mitigating mental health harm inflicted by the pandemic.

mental health ; social media ; COVID-19

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