Every year, the global community commemorates Mental Health Awareness Week from 12th -18th May. This year’s commemoration comes at a time when our mental health is greatly influenced by digital tools, especially social media. The impact of this influence has me reflecting on how deeply our mental health is quietly being shaped by social media.
While platforms like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and X are designed to connect us, they often do the opposite. Beneath the filters, reels, and highlight reels, many young Nigerians silently struggle with anxiety, comparison, and emotional fatigue. The more we scroll, the more we feel we are falling behind. And in a country where mental health is still rarely prioritised, these online experiences can have lasting offline consequences.
In Nigeria, the youth comprise over 70 per cent of the population, and many are active on social media. According to a 2023 report by DataReportal, over 36 million Nigerians are active social media users. Many are young people navigating adulthood, identity, and self-worth under constant digital pressure.
In the first episode of my podcast, Beyond Awareness Podcast with Adesola, my guest spoke about the urgency of mental health in Nigeria. One statement stood out- “People do not prioritise their mental health until it breaks down.” That statement stayed with me because it reflects the reality of many Nigerians. We often carry silent burdens while exposed to carefully curated online lives, amplifying our insecurities.
Personally, I’ve seen how digital communication, while connecting us, can also isolate us emotionally. During hangouts with friends, I have noticed a shift; people now speak less and scroll more. We sit together, but our minds are preoccupied elsewhere. Then someone says, “Did you see what so-and-so posted?” You pull out your phone and enter the loop – likes, reels, highlight reels. The loop is addictive. You open one app to check a post, then one post leads to another, and before long, you are knee-deep in the comparison game. Before long, you are lost in it, watching others seemingly thrive, travel, glow and win, while questioning your own journey. You count other people’s blessings and measure your worth by numbers.
It is easy to forget that what we see is often just the polished version of someone’s life. These loops can be dangerous, not just because of what we see, but how we internalise it. The more likes a person gets, the more validated they seem. Meanwhile, you are by yourself, feeling inadequate and wondering if you’re being left behind. That’s when the loneliness, frustration and desperation creeps in.
I have had younger friends admit that “it feels like I am already behind in life.” I have heard peers joke about deleting their accounts to breathe. I have also felt that way. One minute you are catching up with friends, the next you are questioning your pace in life because of a post you viewed.
According to a 2022 UNICEF study on youth and digital media in West Africa, 52 per cent of Nigerian youths reported feeling anxious or inadequate after spending time on social media. Globally, research from the Royal Society for Public Health in the United Kingdom showed that “Instagram is the platform most associated with increased feelings of depression and anxiety among young users.”
So we must ask: How “real” is social media real? Is it a true reflection of what we see? More importantly, how does it shape and influence our relationships, communities and our perceptions of what life should be.
This brings us to a critical point: how do we reshape the influence of social media on our mental health, thus, changing the current narrative?
As communications professionals, we believe communication is key to shifting that culture. Communication is not only about what we say, it is also about what we absorb, internalise, and respond to. While we perform online, we often suppress offline, hiding our fears, doubts, and struggles because we are too busy presenting strength.
There is an urgent need to create more spaces for real conversations, encourage balance in our storytelling, especially online, and use communication as a tool for connection, not just for broadcasting. It has obviously become imperative to talk more about mental health struggles and the factors that breeds it. This conversation should not be limited to just awareness campaigns week but every day. Let us normalise vulnerability and remind each other that we are all on different journeys.
Perhaps one day, I will carry out a formal research to track how social media is affecting my mental health and the mental health of others around me. But for now, I am learning to pause, check in with myself, and communicate more kindly with myself and others.
Adesola Oyawoye is an Abuja based communications and media specialist with over ten years of field experience. She is passionate about health communication and runs HealthComAfrica, a platform dedicated to exploring solutions for improving health outcomes across the continent.
