Social media has become an integral part of today’s society. While social media has many benefits, like connecting individuals and giving people a voice to speak out about ideas they care about, there are also significant negative aspects of social media. While for some, social media can be a place full of how-to videos and photos of friends on vacations, these platforms can also host a much darker side. Unfortunately, social media has been linked to mental health issues in recent years, and the issue has only seemed to increase with the growth in popularity of apps like Facebook and Instagram.
If social media is causing you to suffer a decline in your mental health, you may be owed compensation for your mental injuries. The personal injury lawyers at Goza & Honnold are passionate about helping clients who have suffered as a result of Meta or Instagram causing their mental health to deteriorate. Our trusted attorneys have decades of experience and can thoroughly investigate your case in order to help you pursue fair compensation for your losses. You should not have to endure pain or trauma as a result of using a social media platform that is supposed to be fun. Contact our team of skilled Meta & Instagram mental health lawsuit lawyers for help with your case today.
How Can Social Media Harm Mental Health?
Social media is often referred to as a highlight reel of only the positive moments of a person’s life. While some users have made a movement toward showing a more realistic depiction of their everyday lives and sharing even the negative moments, social media is still full of filters, targeted ads, and photoshopped photos. Before logging into your account on Facebook or Instagram, it is important that you understand the adverse effects social media can have on your mental health.
Self-Harm and Suicidal Thoughts
The use of social media apps like Facebook and Instagram can cause increased feelings of anxiety and depression. Anxiety and depression can lead to more serious mental health conditions like considering self-harm or suicidal thoughts. The rise in self-harm or suicidal thoughts in social media users may be due to:
- Increased screen time
- Social isolation
- Comparison
- Online peer pressure
- Cyberbullying
It is crucial that you seek medical help if you begin to experience thoughts of self-harm or suicidal thoughts as a result of anxiety or depression brought on by social media use.
Body Image Issues and Eating Disorders
Social media has long been credited with causing users to experience body image issues or eating disorders as a result of the frequent advertisements or suggested posts featuring individuals that appear to look like the beauty standard. While the beauty standard should be subjective, many people believe they must conform their own physical appearance to match those of the influencers or models they are looking at on Instagram or Facebook.
Loneliness
Social media allows individuals to connect with others from the comfort of their own homes. While this can be a good thing, when these users grow too comfortable connecting with others through a screen, they may experience loneliness when they enter the real world and suffer from social anxiety around coworkers or peers at school.
How You Can Prevent Mental Health Decline as a Result of Social Media
If you are logging several hours of social media usage per day, this may be a cause for concern when it comes to your mental health. In order to prevent adverse effects on your health, you may want to take the following preventative measures:
- Set a timer for social media usage
- Designate specific times in which it is not appropriate to be on social media
- Use apps that lock you out of social media apps after a certain point
- Speak to someone if you feel like you are beginning to see early signs of mental health issues as a result of social media
If you have taken preventative measures and are still suffering from mental health issues as a result of Facebook or Instagram, you should speak with one of our personal injury attorneys to decide what your next steps should be. Whether you have been the victim of cyberbullying or have used social media that knowingly harms the mental health of the users, you may be able to pursue compensation for your claim.
Contact a Kansas Meta & Instagram Mental Health Lawsuit Lawyer
No one should have to suffer as a result of using social media apps like Instagram or Meta. However, companies like Meta have been made aware that their apps are harmful to the mental health of users and have not taken steps to warn users or change the platform in any way.
If you have suffered a mental injury as a result of using Meta or Instagram, it is crucial that you contact one of our Kansas attorneys at Goza & Honnold as soon as possible. To schedule a free consultation with one of our attorneys, you may fill out a contact form or call our office at (913) 451-3433.