How much time should we actually spend on social media?
Social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and the like have now become an ubiquitous presence in our lives — an impact resulting from the need to stay at home and avoid the outside world on account of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic that rocked the world. With this in mind, we find it very hard to remove it from our daily ongoings, especially now that it has become a major part of both our social and professional lives.
But the question remains — how much time should we actually spend on social media?
Experts have actually recommended a time of around 30 minutes or less daily. Based on a recent study released by the Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, half an hour per day spent on social media is just about right and can further result in improved health outcomes.
However, the issue should not only lie on the amount of time that you spend online, but we should also be concerned with why we are spending so much time on it. An initial step that we could do is evaluate and ask ourselves why?
Spending a lot of time on social media is not good for you — wherein its overuse can result in addiction and depression. Truth be told, it is actually ironic. Here is a technology that has been created in the hopes of bringing people together, yet spending too much time on it will actually make you feel more alone, let alone invite feelings of anxiety and depression.
Well, now you know that you are spending too much time. What to do next?
The recommended course of action is to cut back on using social media. There are several ways on how to lessen its use, these include deleting social media apps on your gadget; setting an actual limit on usage; evaluate what you are following and liking online; switch off the notifications button and designate an actual day per week where you totally go cold turkey and avoid all online activity like the plague.
Considering the risks we are posing on our mental health, the need to reduce the time we spend across these social media platforms sounds like a good idea.
Now, turn this phone, tablet or PC off and enjoy a short walk outside.
