Gareth O'Callaghan: Why did they film me while I prayed for my life after car crash?

The effects social media are having on the mental health of the individual and on society in general is growing evermore disturbing, according to Gareth O'Callaghan

Our lives, and more worryingly the lives of our children, are becoming deeply affected and driven by a compulsive need to check social media status and notifications and to have posts and comments liked, shared, and commented on by others. Which in turn, can lead to a mental illness identified as social media anxiety disorder.

“I have not tried to restrict social media for my kids, which might have been a mistake,” Elon Musk said while addressing the World Government Summit in Dubai last February. The owner of the social media giant X, formerly Twitter, went on to say that he thinks his children are now programmed by websites like Reddit and YouTube.

Our lives are now becoming deeply affected by a relatively new form of mental illness, unmatched in its capacity to destroy even the strongest minds. As time passes, it’s affecting us more and more with its ability to threaten lives. Its name is social media anxiety disorder.