Mental health is important, and it can take many things for a person to be happy. Some look at Maslow's hierarchy of needs for what we need to be happy.
Maslows heirachy of needs described
Maslow's hierarchy of needs starts with Psychological needs, which are things like food, water, shelter, sleep, and air. We need these for our bodies to function.
Next is safety needs, for example personal security, financial security, health and a safe environment. We tend to seek these once our psychological needs are met.
The next on the hierarchy is love and belonging. Things such as friends, family, romantic relationships, and community groups. This is important because humans are social creatures and need to feel a sense of belonging and acceptance
Esteem follows this and some examples are, Achievements, status, recognition, self-esteem, respect from others. This is important because Feeling valued and recognized contributes to self-confidence and self-respect. It’s about feeling good about oneself and being appreciated by others.
Last is self-actualization, this is realizing personal growth and self-fulfillment. Some examples are pursuing personal growth, achieving goals, creative expression, seeking personal development. elf-actualization is the desire to become the most that one can be. It involves pursuing one's passions and realizing one's full potential.
Maslow's hierarchy of needs isn't perfect, as some people may prioritize certain aspects over others, but people who focus on these in order can find overall wellbeing and happiness.
How social media can disrupt your happiness
Many of us use our phones before bed, but did you know this can disrupt you sleep? Using your phone before going to bed can harm your eyes, as the blue light is known to restrain the production of melatonin. This can mess with your psychological needs as sleep is one of the foundations of Maslow's hierarchy of needs.
Social media can also impact your safety needs. For example sharing personal information online can lead to identity theft or fraud. People can use information you share online against you, which may be harmful for your mental health.
Many people strive for love and belonging in their life, but social media may be making us feel more lonely. Through social media we see a distorted or unrealistic portrayal of connections in peoples lives making people feel more lonely.
Esteem can be affected similarly to love and belonging, with people potentially feeling envy towards other peoples lives and may feel inadequate
Social media can be a negative distraction, as it can take away from tasks that contribute to personal growth and self-fulfillment. Switching between social media and work can tank productivity, some studies have shown it can take 23 minutes to get back on track.
sources: sleep, safety, loneliness and esteem, distraction
The solution
I think that there could be a sort of wellness mode that has multiple different features to allow a healthier use of social media.
For example, it could have features such as app usage tracking, and break reminders, telling you when you should get off after a while. It could also have custom filters, that allow you to block out content that may negatively impact you or your mental health.
Another useful feature would be a mood tracker that lets you log your feelings while you use social media, so you can adjust your usage based off your feelings.
There also could be scheduled breaks in this with prompts to tell you when to get off. There also could be challenges for detoxing from social media, with rewards for staying off of social media for a certain amount of time