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1. Be active users of technology
Sarah Coyne, the School of Family Life associate director at BYU, shared that technology users may be categorized as active and passive users. Depending on the kind of user that one is, it can somewhat affect interaction online.
Coyne says that active users are those that interact positively. These users are liking, sharing, and uplifting others. On the other hand, passive users are those who observe and scroll.
Coyne believes that active use of technology is the healthier way to go. She said, It s important to be really mindful of your social media use and making sure that we are not just scrolling.
The Daily Universe
BYU technology experts say active, positive use of screen time to make and maintain connections can help boost mental health during COVID-19 distancing and isolation. (Whitney Bigelow via Canva)
BYU professors and other technology experts have noticed the effects that technology and social media have on mental and physical health in recent years.
Because of increased online interactions during the pandemic, many are experiencing negative effects on their mental health, such as feelings of isolation, depression and anxiety, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
According to BYU experts, there are ways to use technology to help improve your mood and keep mental health in check despite the circumstances.
Credit: Photo by Madeline Mortensen
As teens use of social media has grown over the past decade, so too has the suicide rate among younger people, with suicide now being the second leading cause of death among those ages 10 to 34. Many have suggested that social media is driving the increased suicide risk, but because social media is still relatively new, it s been difficult to determine its long-term effects on mental health.
In the longest study to date on social media use and suicidality, BYU research recently published in the
Journal of Youth and Adolescence now offers some answers.
Through annual surveys from 2009 to 2019, researchers tracked the media use patterns and mental health of 500 teens as part of the Flourishing Families Project. They found that while social media use had little effect on boys suicidality risk, for girls there was a tipping point. Girls who used social media for at least two to three hours per day at the beginning of the study when they were abo