Social Media Are Driving Americans Insane

The APA recently released a study finding that Americans were experiencing the first statistically significant stress increase in the survey’s 10-year history, according to Bloomberg. In January, 57 percent of respondents of all political stripes said the U.S. political climate was a very or somewhat significant source of stress, up from 52 percent who said the same thing in August.

Last week, the APA released the second part of its findings, “Stress In America: Coping With Change,“ examining the role technology and social media play in American stress levels. Social media use has skyrocketed from 7 percent of American adults in 2005 to 65 percent in 2015. For those in the 18-29 age range, the increase is larger, from 12 percent to a remarkable 90 percent.

But while an increase in social media usage is hardly surprising, the number of people who just can’t tear themselves away is stark: Nowadays, 43 percent of Americans say they are checking their e-mails, texts, or social media accounts constantly. And their stress levels are paying for it: On a 10-point scale, constant checkers reported an average stress level of 5.3. For the rest of Americans, the average level is a 4.4.

The highest stress levels, it should be noted, are reserved for those who constantly check their work e-mail on days off. Their average stress level is 6.0. About 42 percent of constant checkers specifically point to political and cultural discussions as causing stress. And the impacts play out in real life: 35 percent of constant checkers say they are less likely to spend time with family and friends because of social media.

If the first step toward recovery, however, is admitting there is a problem, Americans are on their way. Some 65 percent of respondents said “unplugging“ or taking a “digital detox“ is important. But only 28 percent of those say they take their own advice.