Importance of understanding the connection between technology and social anxiety
Addressing social anxiety in the technological world is crucial for understanding online factors that influence the development, barriers and enablers of anxiety both within the real world and online. In the younger generations, we see an incline of social media usage, early access to devices and education taking place online. It is important to understand the role technology and the online world play in social anxiety.
During adolescence, new physical, cognitive and socio-emotional developments are made within individuals. Independent behaviours and habits surrounding health are developed during these formative years, which then carry through to adulthood. An individual's digital environment and consumption of media heavily influence these habits. (Engel et al., 2023)
Some challenges you may be facing:
- Lack of education for youth surrounding how to safely use online platforms
-Lack of education for parents surrounding online safety
- Lack of skills needed to form a meaningful connection online
- Setting boundaries for children with technology
High levels of social media and technology use can negatively impact an individual's mental well-being; it can be addictive, increase levels of anxiety and depression, along with opening individuals to a new environment of cyber-bullying and harassment. (Bounds, 2024). Prior research claims that social media and technology use may actually trigger social anxiety, with concerns for individuals surrounding self-presentation and evaluation from peers within online settings, along with a rise in comparison to others on social media. A recent study found that increased time spent on social media and consumption of health and well-being content leads to the internalisation of body ideals and perceived pressure to conform to these ideals. Internalisation of these ideals then leads to the constant need for self-evaluation and improvement, leading to harmful eating behaviours and an increase in the development of eating disorders. (Dahlgren et al., 2024). This is just one example of the harmful effects that consuming online content can have on individuals. This shows we must further explore how technology and social media usage impacts social anxiety. Individuals who experience social anxiety already have a challenging time participating in society, and high levels of technology and social media usage decrease an individual's social skills within real-life settings, making social interactions and connections more challenging for individuals. (Lai et al., 2023).