Social media and anxiety: Bijal Oza interviewed by Khaleej Times to mark Mental Health Awareness month

To mark the Mental Health Awareness month, Khaleej Times, one of the leading English dailies in the UAE, on 13th October 2018 published an article highlighting how ‘perfect family’ posts on social media fuels anxiety for parents, according to a survey by Priory Group, the mental healthcare specialists. As many as half of the parents who participated in the survey think that social media channels like Instagram and Facebook create unrealistic and unattainable expectations of family life which fuel anxiety and can trigger depression. The survey was conducted in September among 1,002 parents of youth under the age of 18.

The newspaper interviewed Ms Bijal Oza, Director (Cross-Campus) Counseling & Coaching Center, SP Jain School of Global Management, for her advice on how parents should tackle social media anxiety.

Talking to Khaleej Times, Ms Bijal Oza noted that social media could help new parents who need assurance or validation about the challenges of parenting. "However, new parents need to be self-aware of the consequences of constant comparisons and overload of information on parenting. Being mindful and self-aware can help new parents navigate through the pressures of social media," Ms Oza said.

You can read the full article here