BAHAWALNAGAR:
A recent report by Pakistan Telecommunication Authority revealed that there are approximately 217.1 million profiles belonging to Pakistanis across various social media platforms, with 70.1 million actively using these platforms. Younger people are spending excessive amounts of time online, which is affecting their development. The plethora of social media platforms has exacerbated the issue further trapping the youth in this addictive cycle.
The ingenious design of these platforms by skilled individuals is aimed at ensnaring users, holding their attention captive for extended periods. A prime example of this lies in the personalised content they offer, which prevents users from disengaging from their mobile devices. The limitless scrolling perpetuates people’s addiction and simultaneously fuels the platforms’ profitability. The intense competition among social media platforms to generate higher profits is significantly compromising individuals’ lives, and this is a matter of great concern.
To reduce social media usage, people should establish clear goals such as setting time limits, avoiding social media during work, study, or family time, and disabling non-essential notifications to reduce the urge to check social media constantly. In addition, people must take breaks from social media, unfollow accounts or pages that contribute to negative feelings and pursue other hobbies such as sports, reading, etc. This can help one get out of this vicious cycle. The government must initiate awareness campaigns to educate the public about the potential harms of excessive social media usage, including digital literacy and responsible social media use in school curriculums, implement regulations that promote responsible design and usage of social media platforms, encourage the development and promotion of parental control tools that allow parents to monitor and restrict their children’s social media usage, and allocate resources to support addiction treatment and counselling programmes for individuals struggling with social media addiction.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 24th, 2023.
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