More than 50% of the American population have some type of mental illness and 92% of Americans own some form of technology. What do these two things have in common? In today’s world, using technology is a norm that most people follow. The most popular being social media, such as Instagram or Tik Tok. Social media is a website or app that enables users to create and share anything, anytime, and anywhere online. Mental illnesses are health conditions that involve changes in emotions, thinking, and behavior. The most common types of mental disorders in adolescents and adults are anxiety and depression. Research shows that 64% of users that spend more than four hours per day on social media experience depression. 

Technology can affect our minds in many different ways. All the notifications that a person receives in a day can cause a shift in their focus. That can cause long-lasting difficulties with paying attention. With your brain not being able to focus and settle down, you may be more likely to perform poorly on academics. A research study conducted by university students shows that you are more likely to remember something if you write it down on paper rather than type it on a computer. That is why virtual learning was very difficult for a lot of students. Sitting and staring at a computer screen for more than 6 hours straight can get mentally exhausting. All modern technology screens emit something called blue light. Blue light can be very harmful on the eyes and can cause sleeping problems. Poor sleep is known to significantly worsen the symptoms of mental health issues such as feeling more anxious or depressed. 

Many insecurities are brought out from using social media. Feeling bad about your body type, online bullying, and peer pressure can all affect mental health. Many mental disorders can be linked to these insecurities. Eating disorders like anorexia and bulimia can result from fat-shaming online. Peer pressure can cause severe anxiety. The feeling of being hated by your peers because you don’t want to participate in an activity can cause a great deal of anxiety. Many suicides that occur are results from feeling depressed because of online bullying. The internet is a toxic place that can cause many people to be mentally and emotionally drained.

Technology is truly an amazing thing our world has created. Being able to connect to people across the world with just a simple device is captivating. Being able to capture special moments and milestones with the click of a button. Technology is astounding, but is it worth your mental well-being?