In the age of endless scrolling, the most important thing is to be engrossed. Social media platform is expertly designed to be addictive due to infinite scrolling and frequently popping up notifications.
According to Forbes, an international magazine, every smartphone user checks his phone 84 times on average, and spends up to 5 hours each day. In addition to that people who are not actively engaged and habituated to use are more creative and productive as compared to those who do so. The Digital 2025 reports that Pakistan was home to 66.9 million social media identities, which is equivalent to 26.4% of the total population.
Another survey by Gallup & Gilani demonstrates that approximately 40% of adult Pakistanis use social media. The most prominent platforms are Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), and Instagram. Two-thirds of the users are aged 30 and below. They are oblivious to the adverse effects of social media and excessive screen usage.
Repeatedly switching among social media platforms and doing other activities often affects our cognitive thinking ability. This is directly associated with the decline in our productivity and performance. The cost of it will be paid in the form of poor academic performance, inefficiency, and isolation from society.
The psychological impact of the extensive use of social media is often in the form of anxiety, depression, lower self-esteem, and poor sleep quality. These factors are directly related to our healthy development and overall wellbeing, especially in younger age or adolescents who are directly open to it in our country.
The most important thing is that it causes the waste of time. If someone uses social media for 2 hours each day, it becomes 30 days in a single year. That time can be utilized in any sort of productive and healthy activity, such as playing sports, spending time with family, etc.
Due to the excessive use of social media, we are moving far away from a traditional human society to a world full of quick emojis and text replies. This cosmetic communication leads to the limitation of emotional bonding, weakens empathy, and essential skills for human relations.
The long-term economic cost of imprudent social media use is loss of concentration and lowered attention span, and it has become a part of the behavior. Because of that, someone fails to do deep work or learn new skills. The outcome is to lose economic value in such a competitive world.
The role of social media nowadays is more significant if it is utilized mindfully. For instance, we can use it for business promotion, it is a source of instant communication all over the world, and on social media platforms like YouTube is a great and cheap way of knowledge. Along with it, social media can be a handy tool for showing art and creativity as well.
Despite all, a digital pause has become essential. This does not mean to be cut off from technology, but use technology mindfully because social media is not a fundamental technology, and is made up for entertainment purposes. It is possible through using screen time limits, turning off urgent notifications, and motivating students to use it for educational purposes, instead of just scrolling and wasting their study time. Since balance is the key, technology is the tool, but if not controlled, it becomes a trap.
In this context, the role of policymakers is more crucial; they should exercisea crackdown on inappropriate and unethical websites and social media platforms. This leads to discrimination and spreadsnegativity in society. By taking these measures, they can control mental health issues. Additionally, this practice results in creating potential opportunities for youth to contribute to the economy in the form of sports, art, skill development programs, and more.