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Status of mind

What's the best thing about social media? And what's the worst? In this video, young people say whether they think social media can be bad for your health.

Instructions

Do the preparation task first. Then watch the video and do the exercise. Remember you can read the transcript at any time.

Preparation

Transcript

#StatusOfMind

Social media + its impact on young people’s mental well-being

Young Health Movement

What’s the best thing about social media?

Woman: It allows me to keep in contact with my friends.

Man: It’s interesting to see what other people are doing without being nosy about it.

Man: You can find the best memes on the internet.

Man: I just like posting pictures of myself.

Can social media be bad for mental well-being?

Man: Yeah, 100%.

Woman: Yeah, 100%.

Woman: Oh, definitely, yeah!

Woman: Definitely.

Woman (right): Yeah.

Woman (left): Definitely!

Woman (right): Yeah, it can.

Woman: Everything on social media I find very curated.

Woman: You can create your own, kind of like, lifestyle online so you can have a fake lifestyle.

Woman: I know that I’ve spent maybe, like, half an hour taking, like, the perfect, like, studying picture.

Woman: You do feel a bit intimidated.

Man: You go on your explore page and then you see somebody with, I dunno, a better car than you, better grades than you, like, a fitter girlfriend than you ... Like, it could, it could be anything and you’ll always want more.

Woman: I think it’s just made things really superficial.

Man: They try and compare themselves to people on Insta and they don’t know that these people are, like, photoshopping in the background and doing all this extra stuff. It’s quite a depressing thing if you’re climbing up to get somewhere but you’re never going to reach.

Which is the worst for mental well-being?

Woman: Uff.

Man: Hmm.

Woman: Instagram, I think?

Man: Instagram, by far. Was that right?

Man: Between Instagram and Twitter.

Woman: Probably Facebook.

Man: Facebook.

Woman: Snapchat actually.

Man: Honestly, I think Tinder. Real talk, real talk!

Man: Was I wrong?

We asked almost 1,500 young people about their experience of social media and mental well-being. This data allowed us to rank the social media platforms from best to worst.

Health and well-being league table (best to worst): YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram

Best for well-being: YouTube

  • (happy face) Awareness + understanding of other people’s health experiences, self-expression
  • (shocked face) Sleep

Worst for well-being: Instagram

  • (happy face) Self-expression, self-identity
  • (shocked face) Sleep, body image

½ of 14- to 24-year-olds surveyed said Instagram and Facebook exacerbated feelings of anxiety.

7 in 10 said Instagram made them feel worse about body image.

2 in 3 said that Facebook made cyberbullying worse.

We are calling for …

  • a pop-up notification for when you’ve spent a certain period of time online
  • a watermark on photos to indicate that they’ve been digitally manipulated
  • PSHE lessons to include advice on how to use social media in a healthy way
  • intelligent analysis to identify those who may be at risk from poor mental health and discreetly direct them towards help.

For more information visit www.yhm.org.uk

© Young Health Movement

Worksheets and downloads

Status of mind - exercises262.76 KB
Status of mind - answers157.65 KB
Discussion

What's the best thing about social media and what's the worst? How can people use it safely and healthily?

Language level
B2 Upper intermediate
C1 Advanced
Topics
social media
health
online safety
Average: 4 (10 votes)
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Comments

Submitted by LDNC on Thu, 11/21/2019 - 22:55

social networks are a form of distraction because you can talk with friends and family, meet people and publish what you like to do. But there are people who use them to insult, mock or treat a person badly this is one of the main reasons why those that children and young people commit suicide.
Profile picture for user Ken

Submitted by Ken on Mon, 03/26/2018 - 04:00

Hi, Elsa007, it seems that you're almost reached a satisfactory answer. You don't have to go looking for a trouble. My advice is not to walk straight into the exhibitionist's trap. They just want blessings from many and unspecified users to share their boring life together. Some people are weird craving for a celebrity-like lifestyle and they can be delusional in their belief that "I'm superior than... at least YOU!". It's easy to know it's a gimmick. Luckily or unluckily, your close friend has such a sister, which is a reality, regardless of your likes and dislikes. I think your concern/frustration is caused by viewing the fact that your friend's hanging out and merging with the wrong crowd on the other side of your friendship, right? Sounds sad...... ʅ(´-ω-`)ʃ Well....you can't control the situation, but you can believe your friend's real thoughts at any time. I bet your friend is a much better person than you suspect. I hope you can clear all misunderstandings! Don't be swayed by the kind of stuff and focus on your study for future success! Good luck Elsa! =͟͟͞͞٩(๑☉ᴗ☉)੭ु⁾⁾
Profile picture for user Elsa007

Submitted by Elsa007 on Tue, 03/27/2018 - 02:13

Hi Ken Thank you for your reply which put me back the smile! You brought up a good point. Oddly enough, it rang the bell just when I was taking a social study class today where we learned about the current situation of Korean Peninsula. I thought geopolitics is very similar with how human beings behave. Of course, it's much more serious than what we do in our daily life! :) There is an unpredictable bunch in the world, yet we still have a choice about what we do and which way to go. It's okay to avoid visiting places where I get a creepy feeling! I'll ask my friend if we can enjoy our study and take pleasure in association. :)
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Submitted by Elsa007 on Wed, 03/28/2018 - 04:07

Thak you, ken. You’re so kind and have a bright loaf! I’ll learn to become an adult!... ;)
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Submitted by Elsa007 on Sat, 03/24/2018 - 10:36

Social media is fun actually, but at the same time, it's a pain in the neck when we are addicted. Annoying comments and images are sent on a one-way, so they can be like a violence to viewers. Little posters who are entirely preoccupied with themselves know their posts are unwelcome. There they go bragging again...!! If I meet such people, I would be able to keep off and show my reactions, but on online, I just end up feeling negative about the phoo-phoo time! I have a problem. To be honest, I don't want to have a peep for posts by who live a useless lifestyle, but since my close friend has that kind of sister, I'm sometines forced to bear the pain...!! My heart hurts...., I'm a sensitive person. What should I do?? Should I stop contact my friend online? Well, I'm figuring out now..., maybe my friend wants to have one for a family, particularly for the exhibitionistic sister to meet her demand. Then, if I don't really want to see the nonsense, perhaps I should NOT care about my friend's family matter even though we are close friends. (...wait, does it really matters? What they share out there is originally empty of all meaning. Sorry!) I don't know what I will do... ahh... I wish if my friend could make a peaceful site for us where we can tell EACH OTHER what is going on in our life. You know, girls want to share together, not one-way massage but... ;) Can anyone help me!? Give me an answer-----!
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