Is Social Media Causing More Harm Than Good for Mental Health?

A beach photograph from Zanzibar, a holiday in Dubai, a wedding or a new job can look like a harmless reason to tap “like” and write “Congratulations!” But for some people, the same image quietly becomes evidence that everyone else is moving forward while they remain stuck.

Social media expands a familiar human habit of comparison from classmates and neighbours to thousands of carefully chosen lives. Instagram, X, TikTok and WhatsApp Status rarely show ordinary life. They show success, wealth and travel, leaving out the debt behind a trip, the loan behind a car or the sleepless nights and school fees behind a graduation photograph.

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What am I capable of?

The pressure can also encourage people to perform wealth. Some hire cars or borrow money to appear prosperous online. Others, driven by low self-esteem, come to depend on likes and may share inappropriate content simply to attract attention. A person earning less than one million shillings can appear wealthy in a photograph while struggling in daily life.

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Why am I not where they are?

The same distortion affects relationships and personal achievement. A couple’s perfect image may conceal an argument that ended in tears, while a graduation post hides the effort required to reach it. People compare their entire, complicated lives with someone else’s single polished moment, then ask why they are failing.

The article warns that comparison can shift the question from “What am I capable of?” to “Why am I not where they are?” If left unchecked, it can contribute to self-doubt, anxiety, stress and depression, especially among young people. Uganda’s 2025 State of Uganda Population Report says 24.2% of adults and 22.9% of children live with conditions including depression, anxiety or post-traumatic stress. The Ministry of Health calls the situation a “silent emergency.”

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silent emergency