Facebook is one of the most popular social media platforms in the world, with over 2.8 billion monthly active users as of Q2 2021. While Facebook has many benefits like connecting people across distances and sharing life updates, extensive use can also have negative effects.
Here are 5 of the most concerning ways that using Facebook extensively can negatively impact your life:
1. Facebook Use Can Contribute to Depression and Loneliness
Several studies have found correlations between high levels of Facebook use and increased depression and loneliness. A University of Pittsburgh analysis of young adults found that the more time someone spent on social media, the more likely they were to be depressed. This was most significant with Facebook use compared to other platforms.
Seeing the carefully curated posts of your friends’ lives on Facebook can foster feelings of envy, inadequacy, and isolation. These feelings of being excluded while others seem to be enjoying life can increase depression. Furthermore, passive scrolling doesn’t provide meaningful social interaction that combats loneliness.
Key Statistics
- A 2020 study found that higher Facebook use correlated with 2.7 times greater risk of depression.
- University students who used social media for more than 2 hours per day were twice as likely to report poor mental health including anxiety and depression.
- A meta analysis of over 30 studies with over 12,000 participants found a significant relationship between social media use, especially Facebook, and depression and anxiety symptoms.
2. Facebook Can Negatively Impact Your Self-Esteem
Facebook usage has been linked in multiple studies to declines in self-esteem and life satisfaction. Comparing yourself constantly to others leads to negative social comparisons. You tend to compare the worst of your real life with the carefully curated highlight reels of others.
These comparisons lead to feelings of inadequacy as you feel your life doesn’t measure up. Features like likes and reactions provide social validation, which can become addictive. But it can negatively impact your self-worth if you derive your sense of self primarily through these external likes rather than inner confidence and achievement.
Key Statistics
- A study found that the more people used Facebook in a day, the poorer they rated their overall wellbeing. Life satisfaction and self-esteem declined the more participants used Facebook.
- Another study found that high usage of Facebook led to a 17% decrease in moment-to-moment happiness while reducing life satisfaction overall.
- Women tend to suffer even more adverse self-esteem effects from Facebook usage than men.
3. Facebook Can Contribute to Poor Sleep Quality
Many people use smartphones to access Facebook and other social media at night, right before bed. Using screens before sleep can negatively impact your ability to fall asleep and reduce sleep quality. The blue light emitted from devices tricks your brain into thinking its daytime, suppressing melatonin.
Also, becoming emotionally invested in social media content engages your brain, making it harder to unwind before bed. This hyperactive state is the opposite of the relaxed mode your brain should enter before sleep. Furthermore, you may be exposed to stressful or emotionally charged content that negatively affects your mood and relaxation levels.
Key Statistics
- A study found a significant association between high nighttime social media usage and poor sleep quality in undergraduates.
- Teens who spend more time on electronic devices, especially right before bedtime, are more likely to get inadequate sleep, suffer from sleep disorders, and be excessively sleepy during the day.
- Experts recommend avoiding screen exposure for at least 30 minutes to an hour before trying to fall asleep to allow your brain to wind down.
4. Facebook Use is Linked to Poor Academic Performance
Multiple studies have found that increased use of Facebook and other social media is associated with declines in academic performance. Students who are focused on Facebook during study sessions will retain less information. Multitasking divides attention, meaning you comprehend and retain less.
Late night social media usage can also contribute to poor sleep habits, leaving you tired and less able to focus during school. Social media notifications and content grabs your attention during study and class time. Heavy social media usage trains your brain to have a shorter attention span and less ability to focus deeply on tasks.
Key Statistics
- A study by Ohio State researchers found a significant inverse relationship between time spent on Facebook and GPAs of undergrads.
- An analysis of multiple studies concluded that increased social media consumption, predominantly Facebook, correlated with poorer learning outcomes.
- One study found that heavy social media users studied for 1-5 fewer hours per week than lighter users.
5. Facebook Can be Addictive
Facebook and other social media platforms use design techniques that make them addictive. Features like notifications light up the dopamine reward circuits in your brain. You crave the social validation of likes and reactions. Scrolling feeds use variable rewards, so you constantly check for new, interesting content.
Problematic use resembles addiction when you spend excessive time unable to control your usage. This compulsive checking can make it hard to stay focused at work or school. You may become dependent on the dopamine highs social media provides, at the expense of offline relationships and activities.
Key Statistics
- Indicators of potential technology or social media addiction include: using it to forget about personal problems, feelings of anxiety when you can’t access it, inability to control usage, and continuing use despite negative consequences.
- About 5-10% of internet users exhibit signs of possible internet addiction, which includes compulsive social media use.
- People who log on to Facebook most frequently are at greatest risk of using it compulsively or addictively.
Conclusion
Facebook can provide many benefits but also carries risks if you overuse it without self-awareness. Setting healthy boundaries and balancing Facebook with offline interactions is important. Moderating usage, avoiding late night scrolling, and taking Facebook breaks can help mitigate negative impacts.
The key is using Facebook mindfully in moderation, rather than compulsively checking it constantly. Enable settings to reduce notifications and remove it from your home screen to reduce impulse checking. Consciously limit usage to free up time for more fulfilling activities. Reflect on how Facebook use makes you feel – reduce consumption if you notice declines in mood or productivity.
While social media is here to stay, its negatives can be avoided with self-discipline and self-reflection. Use Facebook for the right reasons to enhance your life, instead of allowing compulsive use to diminish it.