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Social Media's Disturbing Content: Protect Your Mental Health

10/7/2025

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Annie Margaret Empowers Users

Social media platforms prioritize engagement over user well-being, increasing exposure to disturbing content.
Repeated exposure to violent content can heighten anxiety and erode emotional resources over time.
Users can protect mental health by filtering content, disabling autoplay, and curating feeds.
PRISM, developed by Annie Margaret, helps users manage media consumption; a free online course on values-aligned media launches October 2025.

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Curiosity Trumps Warnings

Trigger warnings may backfire by increasing curiosity and prompting more viewing of disturbing content.
A study of 261 participants found 90% still accessed sensitive material despite warnings, driven by curiosity.
Vulnerable groups, including those with mental health conditions, did not avoid flagged content.
Critics say warnings shift responsibility to users; experts call for more effective interventions to support well-being.

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Annie Margaret Empowers Users

Social media platforms prioritize engagement over user well-being, increasing exposure to disturbing content.
Repeated exposure to violent content can heighten anxiety and erode emotional resources over time.
Users can protect mental health by filtering content, disabling autoplay, and curating feeds.
PRISM, developed by Annie Margaret, helps users manage media consumption; a free online course on values-aligned media launches October 2025.

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