Social media has a significant impact on mental health and self-esteem, especially among younger generations. It’s something I’ve personally struggled with—and still do to this day. In many ways, social media feels like both a blessing and a curse. It’s become deeply rooted in our society, shaping how we see ourselves and others. I was born in 2007, around the time when social media and smartphones were becoming popular. My mom had me at 18, so naturally, she was very active online too. She was one of those parents who constantly took pictures and posted them, often sharing updates or expressing her love for us in the captions. Sometimes, those posts included personal details I wasn’t comfortable with. Over time, I realized this behavior had a negative effect on my mental health. Through years of self-reflection, I’ve come to understand how it contributed to my emotional decline. I began to seek validation through social media—first from my mom and family, then gradually from complete strangers. My family would post every major accomplishment I achieved, and their friends and followers would flood the comments with praise and support. That feeling became addictive. I started checking to see what people were saying about me, almost needing it to feel good about myself. Now that I’m 17, those posts about me have stopped. No one knew how much I depended on them for reassurance. I wasn’t often told directly that my family was proud of me, and I truly believe that kind of affirmation matters. So when the posts stopped, I subconsciously began to feel like a disappointment. I felt like everything I did was going unnoticed, and I slowly pushed myself into the shadows. I no longer felt wanted or seen. What started as a positive source of validation became one of the reasons I now struggle with low self-esteem. I developed a mental connection between my worth and how much I was shared or celebrated online. I even fell into the trap of comparing myself to influencers and models, wishing I looked like them—even though I had once believed I was immune to that kind of influence. I told myself I was happy with who I was… until I wasn’t. I truly believe that years of excessive social media use and overanalyzing every little detail contributed to my mental health struggles. Today, I live with anxiety and depression. It’s something I work through daily, and while last year was especially difficult, this year I’ve made progress. I’ve been learning how to ground myself again. I know that God has me, always. If we want to address the impact of social media on mental health, we need to start taking mental health more seriously—especially the older generation. Mental health itself isn’t new, but talking about it openly still is. We need to create more mental health resources for youth and provide better education on social media safety. I was, and still am, one of those kids. You always think it won’t happen to you… until it does. Protect our future generations and prevent them from going through the same things we went through.