Impact of social media: 4 sneaky ways it disrupts your well-being and how to change that

For many people, social media is a considerable staple in their daily routine — wake up, brush teeth, check [insert favorite social media platform name here]. But as anyone hooked on a favorite social media app (or two, or three) knows, time spent on social media can divert your attention and energy from other healthy pursuits. 

Many Hinge Health members are looking to embrace more movement and activity in their daily routines, as well as stick with other healthy goals around reducing stress, eating well, and improving sleep. 

Limiting social media use or making changes to when and how you use it can usually help reduce any negative impacts of social media on your health and well-being.

Here are some common ways social media may be affecting your health goals and tips from Hinge Health experts for how to balance your social media use with a healthy lifestyle.

Distracted eating

Chances are you or people around you eat some meals or snacks with your phone in hand or perched on the desk or table next to you. While catching up on the latest news in your social media feeds, it’s easy to become distracted and lose focus of what and how much you’re eating. Eating is a good time to practice mindfulness and staying present in the moment. 

Focusing on eating rather than multitasking with your phone can help you enjoy your meal more, increase fullness and satisfaction, and lower stress. 

Try this: To avoid multitasking at meal time, put your phone away so that you can focus on savoring and enjoying your food. Pay careful attention to how much you are eating and your body’s signs that you’ve had enough. Stop following people or businesses that share tempting food pictures and instead look for positive role models that inspire you to eat better.

Crowding out exercise

Movement is important for reducing persistent pain. Time spent on social media can sneakily add up and take over time you have to spend on exercise. Consider how you might spend a 10-minute break between work meetings: Do you turn to your phone, or do you get up from your desk and stretch? According to some data, the average person spends 2 hours and 24 minutes on social media every day (and teens spend 4.8 hours on average) — but less than five percent of adults participate in 30 minutes of physical activity each day (recommended per U.S. physical activity guidelines).

Try this: Instead of sitting while scrolling your social media feed, stand up and walk around. Or make a social scroll the reward you get after doing some physical activity, like a Hinge Health stretch session or a 10-minute walk. 

There are apps or settings on your phone that can help you limit your social media usage time per day. Or try leaving your phone in another room if the temptation to pick it up is too great.

Disturbing sleep

People who spend a lot of time on social media during the day may be more likely to experience poor quality sleep at night. One study showed that 30% of young adults who spend an average of about 60 minutes a day on social media experienced high levels of sleep disturbance. Sleep plays an important role in your overall health — especially if you have persistent pain. Poor sleep can make pain worse; and having pain can set you up for more struggles with falling or staying asleep (known as painsomnia). 

Try this: Set limits for yourself on social media use in the evening, shutting down your phone and computer at least 60 minutes before going to bed. Instead, find other soothing things to do in your evening routine, like reading a book, doing a breathing or meditation exercise or a gentle evening stretch session to relax your body and promote better sleep. Many sleep experts recommend keeping your phone in another room overnight and using an alarm clock to wake up in the morning.

Affecting social relationships

Social media apps let you stay connected to everyone you’ve ever met, from kindergarten to long-ago colleagues, as well as meet new people with common interests and goals. But the “social” part of social media can be misleading, since some people wind up spending less time in person with others as a result of spending more time on social media, which can ultimately contribute to feelings of loneliness and isolation.

Try this: Consider the types of social interactions and connections you have most often in your week. How does your time break down between texting, commenting or messaging on social media, phone and video calls, and in-person meetups? See if you can identify a few times you can shift your interactions from being more digital to more in person — say, meeting a friend for a walk instead of catching up over text messages. And when you do spend time in person with a friend or family member, focus on staying off your screens and being present with each other.

How Hinge Health can help you

If you have joint or muscle pain that makes it hard to move, you can get the relief you’ve been looking for with Hinge Health’s online exercise therapy program.

The best part: You don’t have to leave your home because our program is digital. That means you can easily get the care you need through our app when and where it works for you.

Through our program, you’ll have access to therapeutic exercises and stretches for your condition. Additionally, you’ll have a personal care team to guide, support, and tailor our program to you.

See if you qualify for Hinge Health and confirm free coverage through your employer or benefit plan here.

This article and its contents are provided for educational and informational purposes only and do not constitute medical advice or professional services specific to you or your medical condition.

References

1. Ogden, J., Coop, N., Cousins, C., Crump, R., Field, L., Hughes, S., & Woodger, N. (2013). Distraction, the desire to eat and food intake. Towards an expanded model of mindless eating. Appetite, 62, 119–126. doi:10.1016/j.appet.2012.11.023

2. Yaqub, M. (2023, April 16). Average Time Spent On Social Media (Latest Numbers). BusinessDasher. Retrieved from https://www.businessdasher.com/average-time-spent-on-social-media/

3. Physical activity guidelines for Americans, 2nd edition. (2018). Retrieved from https://health.gov/our-work/nutrition-physical-activity/physical-activity-guidelines/current-guidelines 

4. Levenson, J. C., Shensa, A., Sidani, J. E., Colditz, J. B., & Primack, B. A. (2016). The association between social media use and sleep disturbance among young adults. Preventive medicine, 85, 36–41. doi:10.1016/j.ypmed.2016.01.001 

5. Loneliness and Social Media: How Curation Impacts our Wellbeing. (2024, March 7). The School of Positive Psychology. Retrieved from https://www.positivepsych.edu.sg/loneliness-social-media/