[Music]

"Being online is really a double-edged
sword for me. I moved away from home
for uni, so social media has been
such a great way for me to keep in
contact with family and friends,
but I can't tell you how many hours I've
wasted going down an internet wormhole
when I should be studying. I also feel
like I'm missing out on so many
things when I see my friends from
home posting pictures of all the fun
things they've been doing together.
It makes me feel down because my life in
comparison seems so boring. I love
being online for the connection
with the people I love, but the time
wasting, feelings of missing out, and the
feelings of comparison are really taking
their toll. I've deactivated my social
media accounts a few times when it gets
too, much but I always end up coming back."

Simone's story really highlights the
incredible benefits and pitfalls of
social media use in being online.
On the one hand, it can be really
beneficial to our mental health to be
able to stay connected with people when
we're unable to see them in person.
We can also go online to access
information and stay up to date with
what's happening around us and around
the world. We can get access to funny
and entertaining content online, which
makes us feel good and relieves stress.
Online gaming is also an enjoyable way
for people to connect to others and have
fun. On the other hand, being online can
have some negative impacts. The quality
and source of information shared on
the internet and social media may not
be trustworthy or reliable. People can
encounter triggering or traumatic
material and be bullied online.
Negative news shared on social media and
websites can impact our mental health,
particularly if we are bombarded with it
or become addicted to doom scrolling the
bad news cycle. We can spend a lot of
unproductive time online procrastinating.
We may negatively compare ourselves to
the carefully curated profiles and images
that others present of themselves on
social media.

Do you know where your line is between
healthy and unhealthy time spent online?
There are a few ways you can take notice
of your online time if you think this
might be an issue for you. One way is
to check your devices for usage
patterns of the different social
media apps you've installed. You can
also download apps that will
track your social media use or block
access to websites after a certain
amount of time, or during certain hours
of the day. If internet use is
affecting your sleep, you might want
to try implementing a social media
curfew using one of these apps, so
that you can reduce computer and
phone usage before bed. It's also
important to decide how much time
spent online is too much. Using one
of the tracker apps, you can determine
how much time you spend on social media
every day. If social media is something
that causes you to stress or leads to
procrastination, then look at the time
you currently spend online and think
about how much you can reduce this
amount. You can also use the
unhelpful thoughts worksheet we sent
you previously. Identify if there are
any unhelpful thoughts or urges you're
having when you decide to engage with
social media or online games. It's not
easy to reduce internet usage when
it's such a huge part of our lives,
but sometimes disconnecting and going
for a walk, getting some fresh air, or
reading a book can be a welcome change
of pace from staring at a screen.
See if you can achieve a good balance.
Getting entertainment and social
interaction from social media and being
present and engaged in your immediate
surroundings are both important for
maintaining good mental health and
physical well-being.

Thanks for watching.

[Music]