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Social media has occupied such a huge part of our lives that half of us don’t even bother to consult a health professional anymore. Instead, many of us are turning to social media influencers for health and fitness advice, according to a recent poll by Cleveland Clinic and Parade magazine.

More Americans going to influencers for health, fitness advice

Influencers, as they are called, are people who have built a solid reputation for their supposed knowledge on some topic. They make regular posts about that topic via social media, building a large following of engaged people who pay close attention to their posts.

Such are their powers of persuasion that 44 percent of Americans are now turning to influencers to make important decisions about their health, the poll showed. Respondents are most likely to try a natural remedy, change their fitness regimes or adopt a new diet after seeing that influencers have done so. This is worrying because information posted online is not always factual.

“There can be a lot of false health claims out there, so it’s important to ask where that information or advice is coming from — is it from a health professional?” said Dr. Mark Hyman, director of Cleveland Clinic’s Center for Functional Medicine.

The results of the poll also illustrate how social media has saturated modern life — and in the process, taken away time that could have been spent building meaningful relationships.

More than 30 percent of the respondents say that they spend more time on social media than socializing in person, with women slightly more likely to say this than men. Around 50 percent of adults aged 18 to 34 spend more time on social media than connecting in person. One in four women aged 25 to 49 spends more than five hours a day on their cellphone or tablet.

Unfortunately, nearly 60 percent do not track or manage their screen time at all. Worse, only 29 percent say they block text notifications while driving. More than half prefer texting over phone calls.

Helpful tips to limit social media use

Social media addiction is like food addiction – it’s hard to quit, and doing so requires a major lifestyle overhaul. In fact, abstinence can cause classic withdrawal symptoms like more intense cravings and boredom. If you think you’re spending too much time online, it’s time for a social media detox. Try the following tips to stop your online addiction:

1. Turn off notifications. Notifications are a reminder that something exciting might be happening online and you might feel like you’re missing out.
2. Set a timer. Limit the amount of time you spend on social media by setting a timer. Once the time is up, the challenge is fighting the urge to keeping scrolling through your phone. Consider this a test of your willpower.
3. Get a new hobby. Once you started detoxing, you will have a lot of spare time that you can fill with a new hobby. Knit, play tennis, read – anything to keep your mind off that proverbial elephant in the room.
4. Avoid using social media to contact loved ones. There are better ways of reaching out to them. Pay them a visit, if your local lockdown orders permit it. Otherwise, phone them or even text them. Anything but social media.
5. Look at social media as a “treat.” Like your favorite food, look at social media as a reward for good work. This is a good way to reduce your online presence and become more productive.
6. Delete unused apps. Besides increasing your phone’s storage, this removes the temptation to scroll mindlessly. But don’t worry if you need to check the deleted app. You can always turn to your laptop for that.
7. Go cold turkey. If your social media addiction has gotten so bad, it might be time to take a holiday. Delete all social media apps and live life as an ascetic. It doesn’t have to be forever — once things get better, you can gradually go back online provided you’re in better control of your urges by then.

Social media is a large part of almost everyone’s life now. While it provides easier access to information, it has introduced new challenges that pose a huge threat to health. If you find yourself too reliant on influencers for health advice or got so addicted to social media, it’s time to take a step back and do a detox.

Sources:

InfluencerMarketingHub.com

Newsroom.ClevelandClinic.org

MedicalXpress.com

Bustle.com