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During covid there was not a lot going on so I would be scrolling for many hours. I would see reels that were sad and the algorithm picked up in it which emphasized things I did not want to see. I deleted tiktok for a little bit during that time and felt so much better. I started focusing on other things like going on walks and cooking which made me happier than scrolling on tiktok.

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After the COVID pandemic, I started experiencing more anxiety, and it became harder to manage.

One day, I came across some mental health videos on YouTube, and they helped me understand what I was feeling. I also discovered Jungian analyst James Hollis through those videos — his lectures and books gave me deep insight and comfort.

Social media helped me find guidance and knowledge at a time when I didn’t know where else to turn. That’s why I believe mental health education should be more accessible and talked about, especially for young people.

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I don’t like how people share everything on social media. It was very painful for me to learn about a family member’s death through Facebook, rather than from someone close to me. One time, my brother posted a photo of himself, and someone mistakenly commented that he had just passed away. When I saw the comment, I panicked and freaked out. That was one of the worst moments of my life, until I was finally able to reach my family and find out it was a mistake. I think for these reasons, I stopped sharing anything on social media and don’t use it much anymore.

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During Covid, both my siblings decided to leave social media. They were having a hard time seeing images of people not respecting the lockdowns and/or the numbers of those who were getting ill and dying. It really took a toll on their mental healths, seeing that every moment of the day. They used their time instead to find hobbies and better themselves.

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While I do think there are pros and cons to the use of social media, I'd like to share how it did help me get through the Covid-19 pandemic. The platform I am talking about specifically is Discord, which is a little different compared to the likes of TikTok or Instagram, as it is mainly used as a social chatting platform for games or activities. With restrictions and lockdowns in place, it was hard for me to connect with my friends who were also all away to various universities or places, but since we all shared a liking for video games, we still continued to chat through Discord while we were in our homes. It helped lesson the disheartening news around the lockdown, as I was still able to talk to my friends and family, and it helped to balance out my mental health during that period.

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During the pandemic, I had been working as a volunteer for the Stroke Recovery Association of BC, where I facilitated speech groups for stroke survivors who were learning to speak again. This group met twice a week and was extremely valuable for the participants. When COVID hit, and our in person meetings shut down, we moved to online Zoom groups, but it just wasnt the same. However, I did create a Facebook group for the participants where they or their families, could post anything - pictures, videos, words they felt were coming up for them, and others could comment too. I recieved great feedback from the families that this page really added some connection for them during this time and allowed them a safe space to share about their lives. I would hope/assume that building of connection positively impacted their mental health.

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About a year or two ago, my friend since kindergarten moved to the Netherlands to live there permanently. Although we do chat once in a while, social media (namely Instagram) keeps us connected as we continue to share posts and comments.

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I decided to delete TikTok after realizing how much it was affecting my mental health. My feed was constantly filled with fitness influencers and "what I eat in a day" videos, and I found myself falling into a cycle of comparison. I started questioning whether I was working out enough, eating the “right” foods, or looking the way I was “supposed to.” It made me feel like I wasn’t doing enough, even though I was already taking care of myself. Deleting the app helped me tune back into my goals and values without the noise of unrealistic or curated content. It honestly gave me a healthier relationship with the gym. The fitness side of social media is so saturated so it is hard to tell who is telling the truth. It overcomplicated my everyday life so I thought deleting it would help and it def did!

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I think a lot of social media influencers tend to share only the most positive parts of their lives, rather than showing what their daily life is actually like. These polished videos and perfect lifestyles can easily trigger anxiety and unhealthy comparisons among viewers. Over time, this can distort how people see themselves, making them feel like they’re not good enough. Also, when people ask for advice on social media, those who’ve had negative experiences are often more likely to comment, which can create a biased view and make the advice feel unbalanced.

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Last year in September I started my first day of Teacher’s College. A classmate from my cohort created a WhatsApp group chat for the class. During university I never experienced what it felt like to be in a tight nit group with students taking the same classes. This social media platform was great for my cohort because it helped us mesh outside of school hours and lead to us being a closer group that is so supportive of each other. I was not expecting WhatsApp to help foster this positive environment.

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I decided to delete TikTok right after the U.S. presidential elections when my feed became flooded with news about the harmful actions the new government planned to take against minority groups. Seeing so much hatred and injustice made me feel very anxious and sad to the point it was overwhelming. I knew I needed to step away, so I chose to take a break from the app.

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I think the social media platforms have brought young ladies anxiety and unhealthy values about how they look. They propagate the idea that being skinny equals being pretty, which leads to a lot of girls ending up having eating disorders or body shame if they are not skinny enough. In addition, plastic surgery is also one of the issues that I've noticed, which is also the decisions made due to the anxiety that social media has spread. Everyone wants to be pretty.

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Prior to the pandemic, I never really spent too much time on social media. I saw it mainly as a source of entertainment and nothing more.  Once the lockdown hit, I noticed that it could also be a decent source of information, ranging from restaurant deals to updates on vaccination. It made me feel like I was a part of a community.