Are you finding that you’re constantly picking up your phone and checking your Instagram just to mindlessly scroll through content that you don’t really care about? Everyone does it, but it could be affecting your mental health.
Instagram VS Mental Health
There are many benefits of being on social media like networking with others, partnering with brands, working on campaigns, creating fun and engaging content and getting inspiration from others. But there are also disadvantages such as comparing your life with others and time wasting by scrolling through your feed and watching videos.
Activity:
- Go onto your phone settings and see how much time you have spent on social media today
How long does it say? According to techjury.net, they say an average user spends two and a half hours daily on social media in 2022. The statistics continue to show:
- Facebook is the most popular, costing people an average of 58 minutes each day
- YouTube takes an average of 19 minutes daily
- 30 minutes per day on Snapchat
- Instagram takes an average of 28 minutes daily
- Pinterest 14.2 minutes every day
The Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology noted that it is recommended to use social media for 30 minutes per day for better physical and mental health. Now, if you’re an influencer, then this would be an unrealistic number as it takes time to create, upload, write your caption, distribute, go on live, etc, but it puts into perspective how much time you should be on socials compared to the time you’re spending on there now.
Put it into “Quiet Mode”
Instagram has launched Quiet mode to help people focus when they may want to the most. The feature was created mostly for teens but is a great way for everyone to be able to manage their time correctly on social media.
This year, Instagram is also prompting more features to allow you to see/avoid content in Explore, Search, and Reels in addition to updating supervision tools for parents to talk to their teens about IG settings.
Focus first
Quiet mode will encourage you to set boundaries with friends and followers, allowing you to reconnect with yourself and see what you enjoy outside of digital media. Imagine spending 1-2 hours scrolling through Instagram, Facebook, or TikTok when you could have spent that time playing badminton.
In Quiet mode, Instagram will automatically send an auto-reply when someone DMs you and you won’t receive any notifications until it’s switched off. You can personalise your mode in order for it to fit your schedule.
Where is it available?
There are only a few countries in which the feature is available and they include US, United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand with more countries coming soon.
What are your thoughts on Quiet mode? Let us know by tweeting us @itpliveme.
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