Despite the many connections social media provides, it is correlated with many mental health issues, especially on teens. 59% of US teens report cyberbullying or online harassment, with child suicide rates increasing by 150% since social media’s rise. Here are some positive social media accounts to reduce these negative experiences and make your scrolling experience better:
Considered by many to be the worst social media network for mental health, Instagram’s addictive layout makes it easy to mindlessly scroll for hours. Here are some accounts to make that scrolling more informative and uplifting.
@thepositiveminds posts inspirational quotes daily, designed to improve your mood and motivate you to have a productive day. (Photo/Eva Pierre-Antoine)
@globalpositivenews finds optimistic, heartwarming stories to bring more hope to people in a change from the more sober global news stories. (Photo/Eva Pierre-Antoine)
@positivelypresent posts more inspirational quotes, combined with colorful, energetic graphics to bring light into viewers’ feed. (Photo/Eva Pierre-Antoine)
Twitter is considered a more cynical and divisive app due to the presence of many political figures, yet there are accounts that will bring a rest from the constant debates that so characterize the app.
@humansofny records inspirational stories of random New Yorkers Brandon Stanton encounters and photographs them to create immersive biographies of each picture. (Photo/Eva Pierre-Antoine)
@Greatist is an all-around account created to get its viewers to live a more productive, healthier life, from fitness workouts to news articles regarding global health to information on diets. (Photo/Eva Pierre-Antoine)
@WeRateDogs rates dogs users send in, with the ratings always greater than 10/10 and bringing cute and hilarious videos consistently. (Photo/Eva Pierre-Antoine)
Snapchat
While Snapchat is used more for communicating among friends, there are still accounts to bring optimism to each day.
@Womenintech brings attention to women who want careers in technology, telling real stories of struggles and obstacles current successful women have overcome and giving young girls resources to improve their opportunities. (Photo/Eva Pierre-Antoine)