Inspired to give up social media after last night's crash? Here's what you need to know

Instagram, WhatsApp and Facebook were down yesterday evening and it led to many people wondering if they could give up their apps completely. Earlier this year, Martha Brennan investigated whether it's possible to detach from social media, or if we're stuck in its addictive clutches for good

The average Irish person checks their phone 58 times a day. Picture: iStock 

You don’t need to talk to an expert to figure out that social media can have ill-effects on our health. Increased levels of anxiety, body-shaming, self-deprecation, sleep deprivation, the list goes on. And that’s without touching on the physical damage that staring at our screens is doing to our eyesight or posture.

The fact is, however, Silicon Valley is doing its job right, with over 420 million people suffering from internet addictions worldwide and a study by Chicago University finding that social media could possibly be more addictive than cigarettes.