Youngsters on Phones and stress and mental health issues?

[adz-a32]

Re: Youngsters on Phones and stress and mental health issues?

Can't speak for them, but being in my mid 30s I see a direct link with the time I spend on my phone and how I feel. Scrolling for hours I feel awful, when I get up if I don't look at my phone for the first half hour I actually end up having a productive day, get to the gym and do what I need to do which results in me being less stressed as I've got no chores or important things being pushed back or ignored.

My daughter uses her phone a bit but isn't a heavy social media user she barely uses Facebook only to say happy birthday to family etc and snapchat which she also doesn't use a lot and she seems to be happier for it, sue will be productive with her day getting coursework and revision done and not let her phone distract her.

I think social media shows them a perfect world and they feel depressed looking at what they haven't got instead of being happy with who they are and what they have got.

Laugh if you want but I think the selfie has a lot to answer for as well, people looking for happiness with likes and interactions on photos they take ages getting just right..i think that's a mental illness in itself.

I have noticed that with social media, people are bragging more and also have unrealistic expectations. Like nowadays people are trying to get instant gratification, such as lose weight fast on fad diets, get rich quick via crypto etc. Not to mention influencers trying to take advantage of that. I used to follow influencers like that but I realised how they (or many) are full of rubbish.

And also on social media, if you look at what people write, it’s the village idiots who have the loudest voices. Like it seems to be reducing people’s abilities to think. You remember how in Among Us they would say “bla bla is sus”? And everyone would blindly repeat. Well look at FB/Insta/Twitter comments… seem to be culty echo chambers

[North Cardiff Blue]

Re: Youngsters on Phones and stress and mental health issues?

Can't speak for them, but being in my mid 30s I see a direct link with the time I spend on my phone and how I feel. Scrolling for hours I feel awful, when I get up if I don't look at my phone for the first half hour I actually end up having a productive day, get to the gym and do what I need to do which results in me being less stressed as I've got no chores or important things being pushed back or ignored.

My daughter uses her phone a bit but isn't a heavy social media user she barely uses Facebook only to say happy birthday to family etc and snapchat which she also doesn't use a lot and she seems to be happier for it, sue will be productive with her day getting coursework and revision done and not let her phone distract her.

I think social media shows them a perfect world and they feel depressed looking at what they haven't got instead of being happy with who they are and what they have got.

Laugh if you want but I think the selfie has a lot to answer for as well, people looking for happiness with likes and interactions on photos they take ages getting just right..i think that's a mental illness in itself.

I agree I have kids in their twenties and both to me spend far too long on them, they can be in the room but at the same time completely somewhere else, they don't really get any normal relaxing time, because they are always chatting or doing something on their phones. I just think long term it can't be very good for you and another observation is they want bigger and better celebrations and parties, their equivalent of keeping up with the Joneses, influenced by competitiveness from Instagram.

[North Cardiff Blue]

Re: Youngsters on Phones and stress and mental health issues?

I'd say unaffordable housing, wage stagnation, increasing of pension age and complete lack of action on climate change is affecting mental health more than anything else.

Most of us have been through difficult times, with wages and inflation etc but I agree house prices have spiralled too far and to think you won't be able to afford to buy a house must be terrible!

[JamesWales]

Re: Youngsters on Phones and stress and mental health issues?

I think it's a serious issue. Smart phones, social media, the pressures it creates to be seen to look good, be happy, post the right things, think the right thoughts etc.

They are basically a guinea pig generation.

[WJ99mobile]

Re: Youngsters on Phones and stress and mental health issues?

I find myself aimlessly scrolling on socials to negate any anxiety from any stresses.

Makes it worse

Definitely linked for me

[City123]

Re: Youngsters on Phones and stress and mental health issues?

I have noticed that with social media, people are bragging more and also have unrealistic expectations. Like nowadays people are trying to get instant gratification, such as lose weight fast on fad diets, get rich quick via crypto etc. Not to mention influencers trying to take advantage of that. I used to follow influencers like that but I realised how they (or many) are full of rubbish.

And also on social media, if you look at what people write, it’s the village idiots who have the loudest voices. Like it seems to be reducing people’s abilities to think. You remember how in Among Us they would say “bla bla is sus”? And everyone would blindly repeat. Well look at FB/Insta/Twitter comments… seem to be culty echo chambers

And a lot of that stuff is clearly targeted at younger people through advertisements. Adverts for gambling, crypto etc are all targeted at young men in particular

The only social media I really use is Twitter and that's mainly for news, but it can really give a warped idea of what most people are like. Through my work I speak to a lot of different people and the vast majority are nice, normal people, social media doesn't give that impression

[dembethewarrior]

Re: Youngsters on Phones and stress and mental health issues?

I agree I have kids in their twenties and both to me spend far too long on them, they can be in the room but at the same time completely somewhere else, they don't really get any normal relaxing time, because they are always chatting or doing something on their phones. I just think long term it can't be very good for you and another observation is they want bigger and better celebrations and parties, their equivalent of keeping up with the Joneses, influenced by competitiveness from Instagram.

I try and not look at my phone for the first half hour when I get up. I was doing it as a habit until a few weeks ago and now I've snapped back into my old ways, I used to leave it outside the room charging as well when I went to sleep.

I'd say there is a direct link to heavy phone use and mental state, at least from my point of view anyway. The more I am posting on here it's usually because I'm in a slump with my own mental health. As people may pick up on by my manner in posting at times, I can be an arsy arsehole..it's the same as kids do when they lash out not knowing what do to about the way they feel as I mentioned in my first post..I'm a grown up I should know better but we don't all have people to talk to it's not just the kids.

I don't think people over a certain age or maybe a generation will understand itas heavy use of phones qnd the like hasn't been around long.

I qas an active kid, always out, but mobiles really took off in my late teens early 20s and I've fallen into the same kind of trap kids do nowadays. The older lot will say it's bollocks etc as they have no experience of it.