Reducing the Mental Cost of Social Media

Reducing the Mental Cost of Social Media: Risks and Strategies to Use Tech More Healthily

Written by Hillary Gorin, PhD, LCP

Technology is embedded in nearly every part of our lives. It is a gift in many ways, as it improves efficiency, it reduces costs for businesses, it allows for connection with family members who live across the world, it keeps us informed about current events. Social media, specifically, can be incredibly beneficial in these ways. However, technology and social media also have some risks. 

The Risks: 

Regardless of your current political affiliation, social media consumption has been painful for many of us recently. It presents vivid realities, extreme beliefs and messaging, and “facts” that have not been substantiated by research. These are many of the risks of using social media for news updates, dieting advice, financial planning, couples therapy strategies, etc. It is difficult to identify sources of information and to disentangle extreme beliefs and opinions from science. Often, extreme views of the world do not corroborate facts. 

In addition, we have a tendency to represent the very best parts of our lives on social media. Shiny realities that do not really exist are often painted: Glamorous vacations, celebrations, accomplishments, financial freedom, perfectly clean homes, and quintessential lives. Striving to create these images and lives exhaust us and can fuel social comparison and esteem issues. 

Lastly, on social media, we are rapidly bombarded with messages that can be difficult to process; it is common to feel exhausted after scrolling for hours, yet we continue seeking to activate dopamine pathways (neural circuits that regulate reward) produced by social media consumption (De et al., 2025). In a recent review of the neurological impact of social media algorithms on adolescents, research demonstrated that frequent social media consumption can even create brain pathways that are similar to addiction. Also, De and colleagues (2025) found evidence that social media use at high volumes creates changes in sensitivity to emotions and decision making abilities due to impacts on the prefrontal cortex (important for logical reasoning) and the amygdala (important for emotion processing and threat management). AI is also assisting in filtering content to viewers in systematic ways that capture attention and interest (De et al., 2025). This is enhancing the rewarding impact of social media on the brain as well. 

Strategies: 

Despite these risks, social media and technology as a whole are important parts of modern society, of communication, of freedom of expression and speech, and of efficiency. Therefore, it is important to consider healthy ways to use these tools. Below are some of our suggestions we provide at Oakheart for our clients who seek to use social media in healthier ways: 

How to consume social media in healthier ways: 

Set time limits: It is so easy to get stuck in the social media feedback loops and to lose hours of time. We suggest using built-in-tools on your phone, such as apple screen time, android digital well being, or the clock app to regulate time spent on social media.
Schedule in social media use and/ or limit when you will engage with it throughout the day. Eliminating use an hour or two before bedtime may be beneficial to reduce consumption of anxiety-provoking material. 
Consider your goals for social media. How is it helpful for you? How can you focus on consuming more helpful content or content that could contribute to growth? For example, do you want to learn a new hobby, learn about philosophy, or learn about the stock market? In other words, we encourage seeking beneficial content and intentional social media use. We also encourage you to also ask, how is social media harmful for you? Can you reduce exposure to that content by unfollowing or hiding specific content? 
Seek out balanced news sources and fact check information you see on social media. Be a scientist! Double and triple check for accuracy. 

How to manage being triggered by social media: 

Regardless of political affiliation, social media posts can easily trigger us. We encourage the following for managing related distress, catastrophic or negative thinking, anxiety, sadness, and/ or anger: 

1. Practice decatastrophizing by asking these questions:
   
   • What are you afraid of? 
   • Will you survive that? 
   • If so, how will you survive it? How will you cope with this stressor? 
   • How long would it take to recover? 
2. If you will not survive the future zombie apocalypse described on social media, then it is time to stop worrying about the apocalypse. 
3. Challenge thinking. Extremes often do not reflect reality. Do you have evidence that this is true? Have you fact checked this post with multiple, reputable sources? 
4. Problem solve: What can you do to contribute to a solution? Is there a small way to contribute to fixing the problem you feel stressed about? Do you have the time, financial resources, etc. to do so? Will there be any consequences or risks if you make this contribution? If the contribution will cost you too much, identify a smaller contribution. Small actions, over time, lead to big changes.  
5. Shift focus to stability. How can you create the most stable life you can, despite the content that triggered you on social media? 
6. Practice sitting with uncertainty. We cannot predict the future. However, we can cope with what comes. Elimination of risk cannot be our goal because our lives will become too small. 
7. Support each other. If social media is leading to feelings of disconnection, community outreach and intentional connection may be helpful. 

If you're feeling like you need a little more help implementing these strategies, Call OakHeart at 630-570-0050 or 779-201-6440 or email us at [email protected]. We have counselors, psychologists, and social workers available to help you at one of our locations in North Aurora, IL, Sycamore, IL, and/or via Telehealth Online Therapy Services serving Kane County, DeKalb County, Dupage County, and beyond.

References: 

De, D., Jamal, M. E., Aydemir, E., & Khera, A. (2025). Social Media Algorithms and Teen Addiction: Neurophysiological Impact and Ethical Considerations. Cureus 17(1), e77145. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.77145