Help support me in Scroll free September with the RSPH to raise awareness of the dangers of social media for young people and to promote a healthy balance!

Over half the world is on social media! We spend on average 5 hours a day on social media - a feeling i can identify with. I am “online” for several hours a day, and am definitely guilty of checking my phone the instant I wake up, just to see what has happened in the 8 hours I’ve asleep, terrified in case I’ve missed something important! (What really is going to happen at 3am in most of my friend’s lives except maybe a midnight bathroom call??!– and no, I don’t need to see that tweeted!) Commonly know as FOMO -Fear of losing out!

Social media can be a wonderful tool, it can help us keep connected with family and friends far away, help us share our lives and share in others, and help raising awareness of mental health issues, but it can also be a damaging influence, creating false expectations on how to live. We self-judge our lives based on how glamorous we think other people's must be in comparison to ours, we endorse body dysmorphia – “Ooh, I want bunny ears and giant sparkly eyes and perfect luminous skin, cos don’t I look super cute” and often spend time capturing the images of our lives rather than living it! Is it any surprise then that all this can all lead to our health being affected with mounting evidence of the links to sleep deprivation, depression and other mental health issues?!

This can be even truer for young people, where they spend on average 9 hours a day on social media! There is an expectation that they live their lives through filters and online friendships that don’t translate into real time connections. They face issues such as trolling, pressure for over sexualised imaging, and cyber bullying. Numerous online polls show that social media harms young people’s mental health leading to anxiety, feelings of inadequacy, loneliness, and depression – feelings we can all identify with.

So, to raise awareness of the influence that social media has on young people, and to promote the need for a healthy balance, I am undertaking SCROLL-FREE September….no facebook, twitter, snapchat, Instagram, filters (goodbye bunny ears) … oh god, I’m dreading it!

But it’s not just “all about me” – the fundamental crux of social media – I’m going to be raising money for the two wonderful charities that I volunteer for and support, both of whom in different ways support young people to lead healthy, happy lives, full of potential and providing opportunities to help them in life: The Sea Cadet Corp and The Hwb Torfaen.

I don’t have a fundraising target – instead I’m going to be more ambitious, I’m going to try and raise money from 345 people – the number of “Facebook” friends I have! So if you fancy supporting me – even if it’s only 10p – just click the link below. Any money I raise will go towards resources about online safety for both organisations.

I’ll still be available in September through messenger, whats-app, email, or just pick up the phone and chat!

So goodbye for a month, see you on the other side!!!!!!!

#SCROLLFREE

Ashleigh xxx