Social Media Is Making Me Feel Worse About Myself, What Can I Do
Social media can be enjoyable, useful and genuinely connecting. It can also leave you feeling worse than you did before you opened it.
Social media can be enjoyable, useful and genuinely connecting. It can also leave you feeling worse than you did before you opened it.
You might put your phone down feeling inadequate, lonely, irritated or strangely flat. Nothing obviously terrible happened; you simply spent half an hour looking at other people’s lives and came away liking your own less.
That reaction is worth noticing. You do not have to prove that social media is “bad” before changing the way you use it.
Start with the after-effect, not your screen-time total
The number of minutes online does not tell the whole story.
Notice what happens to your mood after particular types of use. Messaging a friend may leave you connected. Watching something funny may help you unwind. Twenty minutes comparing careers, bodies, homes or relationships may have the opposite effect.
Ofcom’s 2026 research found that social media remains widespread among UK adults, while fewer users than the previous year described social media as good for their mental health. That does not prove social media causes poor mental health, but it does support paying attention to your own experience.
Work out what is actually making you feel worse
“Social media” is too broad to solve as one problem.
Is it comparison? Bad news? Arguments? Seeing an ex-partner? Feeling excluded? Appearance content? Work success? Constant notifications? Pressure to reply?
For a few days, notice the moment your mood changes and what you were looking at immediately beforehand. That gives you something specific to change.
Change the feed before assuming you must leave completely
You may not need a dramatic digital detox.
Mute or unfollow accounts that repeatedly trigger comparison. Leave groups that mainly create conflict. Turn off unnecessary notifications. Move an app away from the first screen of your phone. Use available content controls where they help.
Platform design can influence behaviour too. Ofcom’s behavioural research has found that defaults and prompts can affect the choices people make online, so difficulty disengaging is not simply a question of willpower.
Put something back where scrolling has displaced it
Removing an app can leave an empty space that the same habit quickly fills.
If scrolling has replaced conversation, sleep, reading, exercise, hobbies or simply being present, deliberately reconnect with one of those things.
The NHS recommends maintaining real-world relationships and not relying on technology or social media alone for connection.
When it is affecting more than the moment
If online experiences are repeatedly worsening anxiety, low mood, sleep, confidence or relationships, treat that as a wellbeing concern rather than just a phone habit.
Speak to your GP, counsellor or another appropriately qualified healthcare professional if the impact is persistent or significant. You can ask for help with how you are feeling without needing to give up social media entirely.
Last reviewed
6 September 2026
General information only. This is not a diagnosis or a substitute for professional healthcare advice. If social media or online experiences are having a persistent or significant effect on your mood, anxiety, sleep, confidence or everyday life, consider speaking to your GP, counsellor or another appropriately qualified healthcare professional.