I was talking to someone who said her shopping habits have become out of control because of Instagram. Apparently, she wakes up in the morning and the first thing she does while sipping her tea is to scroll through her Instagram feed, where new products enchant her. Recently, she spent a packet buying jewellery that she probably wore not more than once, and clothes that her already stuffed closet gobbled up and were never seen after one wear. Not just this, during her morning Instagram ritual, she decided that she must have a vase and a candelabra, only to realise once they were delivered that she already had the exact same candelabra. “At least my taste is consistent”, she said to her annoyed family members. Another person had her card compromised while shopping on a social media platform and spent days trying to correct this. A young mother said that her baby’s nanny was always on Snapchat; as a result, the baby's care was being neglected. There is another person I know who was complaining about how their young child has learned unpleasant lingo from social media. One couple has to keep fending off requests for fancy products and vacations from their children, who are constantly on social media trying to see what their peers are up to.
Is it time to get off social media? There is documented evidence that social media addiction has brought about behavioural changes in adults and children alike. There have been reports of a rise in anxiety, depression and myriad mental health issues because of social media. Even for emotionally healthy people, the comparison loop that is created leaves one feeling dissatisfied with one’s own life. For those who spend a lot of time on social media, likes and shares become all-important; it is almost like they are living in an alternate reality.
No longer love social media
Australia instituted a ban on social media for under 16-year-olds last December, and following their lead, several other countries have started implementing such a ban. Austria plans to ban social media for children up to the age of 14. In Brazil, minors under 16 would be required to link their social media to a legal guardian's account. China, too, has curbs in place. Denmark plans to put curbs in place by later this year. France, Germany, Indonesia, and Spain have all measures in place or are working towards tightening the rules that allow access. Some of them have already put the ban in place, while others are waiting for bills and motions to pass in favour of the ban.
What is happening in India? In March this year, Karnataka was the first to institute a social media ban for children under the age of 16. Andhra Pradesh, Goa and Bihar are also considering a similar move as per new reports. The ban should not be restricted just to states but should take effect as a nationwide curb to protect the mental and physical well-being of children in the country.
Other than states and countries instituting a ban to protect young people, a trend that is being noticed is that adults, too, are choosing to close their social media accounts. Those who are not totally off the platforms have limited their presence on these accounts because they have found that they are healthier off social media.
Quick facts:
India crossed 800 million active internet users in 2025.
As of October 2025, India had the largest Instagram audience worldwide, recording 480.55 million users. The United States ranked second with 181.75 million users.
As of 2025, X (formerly Twitter) was most popular in the United States, with an audience of approximately 99.04 million users. India ranked fourth with 22 million users.
Courtesy: Statista
Dr. Nimesh Desai, a Senior Consultant Psychiatrist practising in New Delhi, agrees that there has been an overall increase in anxiety on account of social media use. He attributes this to the ‘always on’ nature of social media, a world where people are used to rapid responses and an increased pace of interaction.
"The fact that social media and technology have reduced our patience is worth reviewing.” Further, he says, for people who have an anxious nature or mental health disorders, especially those that fall within the anxiety spectrum or are of an obsessive nature, such an environment can create heightened frustration.
“The human race seems to have developed an atmosphere of a constant state of anxiety and a mutual expectation of zero response time. Sometimes, one wonders if this is a new normalised state of 21st-century neurosis.”
(Padma Shri )Dr Niru Kumar, Leadership Coach & CEO, Ask Insights, says she sees a fair number of people in her practice who are dealing with social media anxiety. This takes a lot of forms; it could be due to being inactive on social media, which causes a fear of missing out (FOMO), or after posting, not getting enough likes and shares, or it could be that one is critical of their own posts. People are constantly scrolling and checking their social media to check the response they have received. She says, It takes a lot of coaching in a processed way to make people understand that visibility is important, but not at the cost of mental health.
All in all, limiting the use of social media would be helpful to the mental well-being of adults and children. Remember, children learn from watching adults around them, so maybe it is time to prioritise your own mental health and give social media a break. |
