Study finds 75% of Gen Z blame social media for damaging their mental health

Social media has long been blamed for its negative impact on the youth. Millennials and Gen X have always associated Gen Zers with addiction to social media, and to strengthen the claim, a new study has revealed that Gen Zers blame social media for negatively impacting their mental health, with three in four individuals expressing this concern. The study further points out that 62% of Zoomers wish to “reset” their social media feeds and start over again.

The Talker Research's study emphasized quoting the statement of those who undergo negative emotions that it only takes them 38 minutes on social media before they start to feel bad. The report commissioned by LG Electronics is a breakthrough in determining the Zoomers take on social media.

The study involved an online survey, in which 2,000 social media-using Gen Z Americans participated. The study conducted by Talker Research from June 20- 24 revealed that all the major social media platforms including, Instagram (20%), TikTok (20%) and Facebook (13%) contribute negatively to their mental health.

Around 53% of the respondents stated that they feel frustrated over the content on their social media feeds. According to them, it doesn’t match what they want to see. Meanwhile, 54% of the survey takers consider they have either “some,” “little,” or “no control at all” over the content on their social media feeds. The report says only 16% believe they have total control over what they see on social media.

This survey concluded that almost half of the Gen Z population experiences a negative emotion such as stress and anxiety while surfing social media. Other than that, the negative content on these platforms, like physical violence, politics and sexually explicit content leads to negative emotions.

Reasons behind social media addiction

The study characterized multiple reasons for the social media addiction of the youth. It stated the following reasons why they come back to social media while they try to resist:

• Boredom - 66%
• I want to laugh/smile - 59%
• Need a distraction/break - 55%
• I want to see what is happening in the world - 49%
• I want to see what my friends are doing - 44%
• I want to connect with others - 42%
• I want to disengage/need downtime - 33%
• Looking for specific information - 32%

Louis Giagrande, Head of US marketing at LG Electronics, stated, “We spend a significant portion of our lives online and often these experiences may leave us feeling drained and not mentally stimulated. We encourage everyone to be more conscious about the social media content they choose to engage with, bringing stronger balance, inspiration and happiness to their lives. If we focus on optimism, we will be better equipped to deal with life’s challenges and build a happier life.”

Emphasizing on the undesirable feed Giagrande said, “Algorithms play a significant role in the content we see on social media but there are simple actions people can take to ‘reset’ their feeds, so they can enjoy more of the positive content they’re craving. When you come across content that makes you smile, give it some extra attention. ‘Like it’ and leave a comment. Giving that post some engagement can help inspire more positive posts like it to show up on your feed.”

While shedding light on some positives, the report claimed that according to 38% of Zoomers social media platforms are likely to improve their impact on mental health in the next five years. The study highlighted the mood of 80% of the respondents who linked social media with a positive impact on their mood with content relating to comedy, animals, beauty and prank videos cheered them up. 65% of the survey takers asserted that their bad day turned into a good one after consuming quality content on social media. In contrast, 44% believe that social media has a positive impact on their outlook on life.

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