Social media: friend or foe?

by Louisa Rose, CEO of Beyond

As the CEO of youth mental health charity, Beyond, and an ex social media consultant, I’m particularly interested in the intersection of tech and mental health.

It might seem like a pivot but let’s think about cars for a moment. It’s impossible to maintain control of a motor vehicle without first learning how to drive. Knowing the difference between the accelerator and the brakes is of paramount importance lest you find yourself in a seriously dangerous predicament.

Social media is a bit like a motor vehicle. Designed very specifically to connect you in the most efficient way possible. The difference? There is no test required to ensure your safety on social media platforms; no formal training in how an algorithm works or how the tech has been designed to keep you engaged (read: addicted) for longer; or indeed how your own careless engagement in-app might prompt the wrong type of content to be displayed to you.

I should say at this point that fundamentally, I am a great proponent of social media when used safely. I believe in its ability to bring together communities and to drive social change. But sadly, this metaphorical motor vehicle has millions of underage drivers at its wheel, oblivious to the danger ahead.

Senior Coroner Andrew Walker has concluded that Molly Russell “died from an act of self-harm while suffering from depression and the negative effects of online content.”

Suicides among teenagers (aged 15-19) rose by a third [Young Minds] between 2020 and 2021. They are at the highest level since data monitoring began.

“Suicide attempts and self-harm are “just part and parcel of everyday life” [in schools] [Anne Longfield]

At Beyond, our charitable objectives are to improve the mental health and wellbeing of young people in the UK. One of the ways we do this is by awarding grants to schools desperate for emergency mental health support for their students. With CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services) waiting lists unbearably long and 25% of all referrals rejected immediately, we see the impact that has on young people, as we’re sure you do too. In most of the applications we receive, social media appears as a contributor to the increased incidences of self harm, eating disorders and suicidal ideation.

Policy work is invaluable. Campaigning for change is crucial. But it’s equally important that we address the other side of this issue. Since we don’t know how long it will take to pass the Online Safety Bill, (or how long it will take tech companies’ to adopt safer design) how can we help the millions of young people currently at the mercy of the existing algorithms? With a lack of education around how to navigate these platforms safely, the influence of content displayed by an algorithm on young people’s mental health will continue to increase.

This is not about scaring you, it’s about empowering you to make some small changes that will create a big impact. It’s about staying safe in an online world that can be dark, harmful and triggering. And it’s about sharing those tips so others can benefit.

So here are our tips to help you #surfsocialsafely.

1. Review your discovery pages (For You, Explore etc). If anything on there doesn’t inspire, motivate or empower you, use the ‘see fewer posts like this’ or ‘not interested’; buttons to let the algorithm know.
2. Mute or unfollow accounts whose content doesn’t inspire, motivate or empower you.
3. Follow hashtags for topics you are interested in.
4. Set yourself scroll time limits.
5. Charge your phone away from bedroom. This reduces the temptation to reach for you phone and among other things, will improve the quality of your sleep.
6. Wear a watch. Depending on your mobile phone as a timepiece creates an all too easy gateway into mindless social media scrolling. So invest in a watch to break that habit.

About the author

Louisa Rose is the CEO of Beyond and the founder of Now and Beyond, a free national mental health and wellbeing festival for the educational community. Now in its third year, Now and Beyond has reached over one million young people, parents/ carers and educators. Sign up now to take part in Now and Beyond on 8th February 2023 at www.nowandbeyond.org.uk.

Previously, Louisa worked as a social media consultant for over ten years, and is particularly interested in reinforcing healthy social media habits for young people. Louisa is diagnosed with depression, anxiety, Tourette’s and OCD and publicly reflects on her personal mental health journey. Louisa is married and a mother of two young boys.