The Centre for Aerospace & Security Studies (CASS), Lahore, hosted a roundtable discussion titled “Digital Minds: Navigating Social Media and Mental Health” on 23 January 2025. The roundtable brought together prominent social media and psychology experts to deliberate on the complex relationship between social media usage and mental health, with a particular focus on its effects on younger generations. Setting the tone for the session, Ms Nidaa Shahid, Associate Director CASS Lahore, discussed how social media has emerged as a game-changer in the 21st century, offering immense connectivity, while simultaneously posing serious mental health challenges.
The first discussant, Mr Fahd Husain, President Aik News Network, probed the complexities of social media stating that it has blurred the lines between truth and false. He further said that social media rewards emotional content over logical arguments. Additionally, the algorithms ensure that people are only exposed to the content they agree with, thus reinforcing biases and creating echo chambers. Ms Fatima Aslam, a clinical psychologist, provided insights into the psychological impact of social media on adolescents. She said that since the advent of social media, the psychological issues being presented in youth have changed, with tech addiction becoming a leading cause of psychological stress. Social media platforms are designed to increase this addictiveness in order to create more revenues.
Prof Dr Rafia Rafique, Director Institute of Applied Psychology Punjab University highlighted the four most common stressors of social media which includes comparison with people’s online personas, usage of likes and comments as social currency, fear of missing out and online harassment. The youth of today have become addicted to the quick dopamine rush despite facing these challenges.
During the interactive session, participants actively contributed their perspectives on digital starvation as an antithesis of social media addition and the need for balanced policymaking to regulate social media usage. It was highlighted that pace of technology is unlikely to be curtailed, therefore human psyche has to adapt to these changes.
In his concluding remarks, Air Marshal Asim Suleiman (Retd), President CASS Lahore, emphasised that while social media connects and empowers, it also contributes to rising mental health challenges, particularly among the youth. With over a 100 million internet users in Pakistan, social media-induced anxiety, depression, and identity crises require urgent attention. He stressed the need to promote digital literacy and use social media as a force for positive change.
The roundtable concluded with a strong consensus among all participants on the importance of awareness, education, and collaboration in mitigating the adverse psychological impacts of social media.
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