"But why do we suddenly think it becomes harmless the moment we turn eighteen? Just because we're legally adults doesn't mean our brains suddenly know how to deal with an algorithm that is quite literally designed to be more addictive than casinos."
Rather often than not, I notice how my mood changes after I've spent way too much time scrolling through my social media explore page. It's almost as if I stop living my own life for a while and start living everybody else's instead.
I'll look at someone else's highlight reel, conveniently forgetting that I know nothing about their story, their circumstances, or the advantages they may have had along the way.
The funny thing is, I know exactly what's happening while it's happening.
I remind myself that, for many of these people, looking like they have the perfect life is literally their job. So obviously, they spend much more time, energy, and money on portraying so than I ever could or should.
That thought usually helps. For about ten seconds. And then I'm back to comparing again.
I wanted to write about this today because I recently read about a law proposal in Great Britain that will stop children under the age of 16 from using social media. Personally, I think that's a really good idea for many reasons:
1. Many mental health struggles can be linked back to social media: Body dysmorphia, anxiety, FOMO and depression
2. The information overload children are exposed to every single day: Our brains were simply never meant to process that many different emotions and that much information within such a short time.
3. Social media is simply not a safe space for children: Kids today probably see more half-naked women in one afternoon than the richest king in history saw in his entire lifetime. And don't even get me started on the number of adults online pretending to be someone they're not in order to gain a child's trust.
Yes, there are child settings and parental controls. But let's be honest, if kids can explain ChatGPT to their parents, they'll probably figure out how to switch those settings off too.
Now, after reading all of that, most people would probably agree that social media can be dangerous for children. But why do we suddenly think it becomes harmless the moment we turn eighteen? Just because we're legally adults doesn't mean our brain suddenly knows how to deal with an algorithm that is quite literally designed to be more addictive than casinos. We're probably the first generation in history to have more memories of other people's lives than our own.
I'm not telling you to throw your phone into a lake and start raising chickens in the countryside. I'm just asking you to remember that social media is a highlight reel. You're comparing your random Tuesday afternoon to someone's carefully selected best moments. And that's never going to be a fair comparison.
I know that's slightly ironic coming from a girl in her twenties to tell you to be careful with what you consume and how you consume it. But maybe I'm exactly who you need to hear it from.
So enjoy social media. Laugh at the memes. Save the outfit inspiration. Watch the dog videos.
But every now and then, put your phone down and come back to your own life.
And if back to basics has taught me anything, it's that life isn't happening on my phone. It's happening while I put it down.
