5 ways social media can actually improve your health

In 2017, 69 percent of Americans had a social networking profile on at least one platform. While younger Americans are the most active, millennials and boomers are logging in their fair share of time, too. “When you total up social media use over a lifetime, it’s currently about five years and four months, according to a recent study by marketing agency Mediakix,” says licensed professional counselor Eleanor Goodwin of Medical City Green Oaks Hospital in Dallas, Texas.

The downside of social media is well-known—but perhaps what’s less talked about is the health benefits social media can provide, such as deepening social connections, discovering a support system for reaching health goals like weight loss and quitting smoking, and providing an outlet for creativity. The key, says Goodwin, is achieving balance. Questions to ask yourself to maintain that balance, she says, are is it interfering with other parts of my life? Is it keeping me from spending time with my friends? Am I reading more about soccer online than actually playing on the field?

Here are ways to use your time wisely and harness the health benefits from your favorite social media outlets.