Managing social media

Since the coronavirus shutdowns, our lives have been disrupted greatly and usual routines have changed for most of us. Whilst social media can be an effective tool for staying connected to friends and family, it can also be a place where negative language and imagery is regularly shared which can have a negative impact on your mental health and wellbeing.

Our Managing social media booklet aims to highlight some key social media issues and offers advice and guidance on how to minimise the impact of social media on your mental health.

The booklet was written by Louisa Rose, a freelance social media expert and Parent Champion at Anna Freud, working with Anna Freud staff with feedback and input from the organisation's Young Champions.

View the resource

Additional support

For more information regarding over 90+ self-care strategies to help with anxiety and depression, please visit Self-care.  

For a list of apps which have been quality assured by external partners, please visit Apps delivering self-help strategies.

If you or someone you know needs help right now, you should, if possible, try to talk to a parent or carer or a trusted adult such as your GP. 

If talking to an adult is not possible, you can find a list of organisations which offer 24-hour support on our Urgent help page. 

The AFC Crisis Messenger text service also provides free, 24/7 crisis support for young people across the UK. If you are experiencing a mental health crisis and need support, you can text AFC to 85258.