Public conversation around social media often leans towards restriction or outright bans - particularly for younger people. The concerns make sense, given how easily attention gets pulled, comparison is amplified, and emotionally charged content is consistently rewarded.
At the same time, social media and AI tools aren’t going anywhere. They’re already embedded in how we communicate, learn, work, and express ourselves. Because of this, it's useful to learn how to live with these tools in ways that enrich rather than overwhelm us.
Social media isn’t a single, uniform experience. How it affects us depends far less on the platform itself and far more on how, when, and why we use it. For some people, it opens access to ideas, communities, and opportunities they’d struggle to find elsewhere. For others, it becomes a source of pressure, distraction, or constant self-comparison. Often, both experiences exist side by side.
A healthier relationship with social media begins by recognising that algorithms are built to maximise engagement, not to protect our wellbeing, values, or long-term priorities. When use is unstructured, platforms can start shaping our mood, use of time, and self-perception in subtle ways that only become obvious once distress has already taken hold.
Used with some thought, social media can play a genuinely positive role. It can support:
Learning and curiosity through educational accounts, long-form posts, and discussion
Connection with people who share interests, identities, or experiences - especially across distance
Creative expression through writing, art, video, or audio
Exposure to perspectives beyond your immediate social circle
Difficulties tend to arise when engagement becomes passive or comparative. Constant scrolling without purpose, checking feeds out of habit, or repeatedly measuring yourself against curated snapshots of other people’s lives can distort expectations and your sense of reality. This can affect your mood, confidence, and ability to focus on things that matter - even when it's not obvious.
Some signs that your social media use might be drifting out of balance include:
Regular comparison that leaves you feeling deflated or tense
Difficulty stopping (often, for hours) once you start scrolling
Using social media mainly to avoid discomfort or boredom
Sleep disruption linked to late-night use
A sense that time disappears without much benefit
Here are some tips you can use to help create a healthier relationship with social media:
Be clearer about why you’re there
Having a clear sense of purpose - whether that’s learning, connection, or sharing work - gives you something to check your use against.
Shape your feed instead of enduring it
Muting or unfollowing accounts that consistently trigger agitation or comparison is a reasonable adjustment to make that helps reduce social media stress.
Pay attention to timing
Using social media when you’re tired, stressed, or unfocused often leads to longer, less satisfying sessions. Choose specific times when you can use it and enjoy what you're doing.
Notice how metrics affect you
Likes, views, and follower counts can transform into measures of self-worth or relevance. Try to share or interact with posts for their own sake, rather than assigning value based on other people's engagement.
Protect important pockets of time
Time away from social media - such as when studying, with friends, or just before bedtime - can support you in being more balanced and make sure you have enough time for important commitments.
Used thoughtfully, social media and AI tools can support learning, creativity, and efficiency. Used without consideration, they can harm things like our judgement, effort, attention, and even relationships.
Positive use of social media helps you shape habits and boundaries, so these technologies fit into your life without taking it over. When use is intentional rather than automatic, AI and social media become something you engage with on your terms, rather than something that dictates how your attention is spent. And since our attention is valuable currency, we should all be careful to spend it wisely.
