A once in a lifetime pandemic, seemingly endless political turmoil, and mass shootings occurring on an almost daily basis; these are the stories that have dominated our news headlines and social media feeds for the last few years.
X (the platform formerly known as Twitter), Instagram, and TikTok have given young adults more access to news than ever before, but it may be doing more harm than good. It’s time for a reality check – we’re damaging our mental health without even realizing it.
At the height of the pandemic, many people fell into the habit of constantly checking the news on their phone.
At first, it was looking at Covid updates just to pass the time. However, it quickly spiraled into an obsession long after lockdowns ended.
Seeing headline after headline about issues we had no control over left us feeling angry, scared, and pessimistic. But, like a terrible car wreck, we couldn’t look away.
When horrific events are happening all around, it’s easy to start to question if these events can happen locally.
Will a mass shooting occur? Will Covid force another shutdown? What is the future if more and more rights get stripped away?
People and especially young adults are susceptible to these feelings than we notice.
This mindless scrolling is contributing to depression and anxiety among college students.
Constant exposure to news on social media heightens feelings of anxiety and helplessness, a study conducted by the American Psychological Association found.
People spend a lot of time on their phones, and this is where the majority are reading the news. According to a study by Pew Research Center, one in five adults get their news through social media, more than any other outlet.
Experiencing body tension before reading the news, decreased ability to cope with everyday life, having intrusive thoughts about news headlines, chronic anger, and increased feelings of hopelessness have all been linked to constant cycles of bad news exposure.
Unfortunately, it’s impossible to prevent terrible news from pouring in on a daily basis, but people can filter how much of it they consume.
College students can take steps to limit their engagement with negative news stories such as monitoring screen time, being mindful of the content they see on social media, or unplugging all together.
Ignorance isn’t bliss. Everyone should all be aware of important events happening in the world.
The key takeaway here is that there needs to be a healthy balance between keeping up with the news and taking care of themselves mentally.
People need to have a healthier relationship with news, for their mental health’s sake.