Our lives have slowly transitioned into dependence on social media and technology. Whether it be from the time you wake up, to the moment you fall asleep, we are constantly scrolling. 

One short Tik-Tok clip has turned into an hour wasted. On your phone, on your laptop, on an ipad, scrolling has become an inevitable habit for most of us.

But what are the side effects of this?

Firstly, it destroys our mental health. A frequent use of social media has been linked to feelings of isolation, sadness, and stress. Social media feeds’ chosen for-you page often encourages people to compare their lives to celebrities, which creates unhappiness with one’s own life. Also, our brains may be strained by the non-stop flow of information, which can and eventually will result in shorter attention spans.

Secondly, it disrupts our physical health. Browsing through social media mindlessly messes up our sleep cycles. Our brains are confused when blue light from screens reduces the amount of melatonin, the hormone that controls sleep. 

In addition to making it more difficult to fall asleep, using social media right before bed lowers the quality of our sleep, which leaves us feeling exhausted and sometimes moody the next day. 

Now, you might take in this information and think to yourself, taking a break from technology is easier said than done. And this is very much true. Without regulations or discipline, only we are able to control our intake of social media.