How Social Media Has Become Directly Linked To Severe Mental Illness

For more than a decade, the concerning effects of social media have been well documented, with even Facebook executives admitting that the platform may pose a risk to users’ emotional well-being.

Chamath Palihapitiya, who was vice-president for user growth at Facebook before he left the company in 2011, said: “The short-term, dopamine-driven feedback loops that we have created are destroying how society works. No civil discourse, no cooperation, misinformation, mistruth.”

A number of studies have found an association between social media use and depression, anxiety, sleep problems, eating issues, and increased risk of attempted suicide.

The suicide rate in the US has grown nearly 25% since 1999 with part of the blame lying with the rise of social media and the effects of subsequent addiction.