Is the human psyche adapted to this? Does a young person have the maturity to handle it?
Four in ten Brazilians experience constant fear of judgment on social media, with one-third anxious about post acceptance rates. Women (71%) and ages 16-24 (65%) feel most pressured to appear positive online, while 65% report life dissatisfaction from curated social content.
- 38% of Brazilians fear judgment on social media; 65% feel pressure to appear always positive online
- 57% of women and 63% of ages 16-24 report mental exhaustion lasting more than one day
- 84% believe online hate speech influences suicide rates; 79% say social media worsens mental health
- Survey of 2,098 people across 130 municipalities, margin of error 2 percentage points
A Datafolha survey reveals 40% of Brazilians fear judgment on social media, with 57% of women reporting mental exhaustion. The study links social platforms to anxiety, depression risk, and suicide concerns among vulnerable populations.
Nearly four in ten Brazilians live with a constant, gnawing fear: that the things they post online will be judged. A Datafolha survey commissioned by Abrata, an association for families and people living with mood disorders, and the pharmaceutical company Viatris, found that 38 percent of respondents feel pressured by their own social media content and harbor persistent anxiety about whether their posts will be accepted or rejected. One-third of those surveyed reported significant worry about how their posts would be received. The research, conducted in August 2022, interviewed 2,098 people aged 16 and older across all economic classes in 130 municipalities spanning Brazil's five socioeconomic regions, with a margin of error of two percentage points.
The pressure to maintain a relentlessly positive facade online runs even deeper. Two-thirds of respondents said they feel compelled to present themselves as always upbeat and successful on social platforms, even when struggling with real problems. Women reported this pressure most acutely—71 percent compared to a lower share among men—as did young people between 16 and 24, of whom 65 percent felt this constant demand to curate happiness. Psychiatrist Fernando Fernandes, an adviser to Abrata, observed that digital natives often lack the discernment of older generations to distinguish between their online personas and their actual lives. Before social media existed, he noted, a person's social development unfolded within the family, among friends, in the community where they lived. Respect, admiration, and disapproval happened in contained spaces. Now, everyone can measure these judgments in real time, across platforms seen by thousands. "Is the human psyche adapted to this?" Fernandes asked. "Does a young person have the maturity to handle it? Of course it becomes a source of anxiety for many."
The curated perfection visible on social feeds—everyone traveling, everyone beautiful, everyone successful—creates a corrosive dissatisfaction with actual life. Sixty-five percent of survey respondents said this gap between online appearance and reality makes them feel inadequate about their own lives. Women reported this feeling more than men: 69 percent versus 61 percent. Carolina de Souza, a 30-year-old lawyer and author of "Suicide and the Internet," described living in what she called a "liquid society" without guarantees about the present or future, while simultaneously watching others online display wealth, beauty, and achievement. "You see all that and want it too, but your reality is completely different," she said. Souza speaks from hard-won expertise. Before age ten, she had attempted suicide multiple times. That struggle led her to research the intersection of internet use and suicide, and she is now a specialist in cybercrime and educational communication for suicide prevention.
The mental health toll is substantial. More than half of women—57 percent—reported experiencing mental exhaustion lasting more than a single day. Among young people aged 16 to 24, the figure climbed to 63 percent, who said they had lived through periods of stress and fatigue exceeding one day. Marta Axthein, president of Abrata, attributed much of this to the relentless self-pressure women especially feel trying to manage multiple roles simultaneously, suggesting this could trigger depression. She recommended reducing social media use, particularly in evening hours. The survey also found that 79 percent of Brazilians believe social media can worsen mental health problems. Even more striking: 84 percent said that online hate speech and the people who spread it could influence rising suicide rates in society.
Yet the scientific picture remains complicated. No strong evidence currently exists that social media broadly increases the risk of mental disorders. Some research shows adolescents with heavy screen time report lower self-esteem and life satisfaction. Other studies have found connections between intense internet use, exposure to self-harm content, and suicidal behavior. Still others have found no causal link. Fernandes cautioned that causality is difficult to establish because people already struggling with depression tend to gravitate toward solitary, passive activities—and nothing is more solitary and passive than sitting before a screen. Sometimes, he suggested, excessive screen time is the only stimulus keeping a person engaged with anything at all.
The survey was part of a campaign called "Love Myself, Care for Myself: Caring for Mental Health is a Daily Practice," timed to Setembro Amarelo—Yellow September—Brazil's month of suicide prevention awareness. The data also showed that 34 percent of Brazilians reported psychological problems during the Covid-19 pandemic, down from 44 percent the previous year. Fernandes attributed the decline to shifting perceptions of health risks and possible economic improvement compared to the acute phase of the pandemic. The message underlying the research is clear: as Brazilians navigate an increasingly digital social existence, the gap between the lives they present and the lives they actually live has become a significant source of psychological distress, particularly for women and young people still forming their sense of self.
Citações Notáveis
You see all that and want it too, but your reality is completely different— Carolina de Souza, lawyer and author of 'Suicide and the Internet'
Is the human psyche adapted to this? Does a young person have the maturity to handle it? Of course it becomes a source of anxiety for many— Fernando Fernandes, psychiatrist and Abrata adviser
A Conversa do Hearth Outra perspectiva sobre a história
Why does social media judgment feel different from the judgment people faced before the internet?
Because it's instantaneous, permanent, and visible to everyone at once. Before, if your neighbors disapproved of you, it stayed in your neighborhood. Now a single post can be seen by thousands, and the metrics—likes, comments, shares—quantify that judgment in real time. You can watch it happen.
The study found that 65 percent of young people feel pressure to seem happy online. Does that pressure come from other people, or from themselves?
Both, but it's hard to separate them. Young people see what others post and internalize the expectation that they should do the same. It becomes a kind of arms race of positivity. But the pressure also comes from within—from wanting to belong, to be liked, to matter in a space where mattering is measured by engagement.
The psychiatrist mentioned that people with depression already prefer solitary activities. So maybe social media isn't causing the problem—maybe it's just where people with existing problems end up?
That's part of it, yes. But the survey suggests something else too: the constant exposure to curated perfection makes people who are already struggling feel even worse about themselves. It's not that social media creates depression, but it can amplify it, especially in people who are vulnerable.
What struck you most about the numbers?
That 57 percent of women reported mental exhaustion lasting more than a day. That's more than half. And among young people, it's 63 percent. These aren't rare experiences—they're common. The mental toll is widespread and normalized.
The author of "Suicide and the Internet" attempted suicide before age ten. How does that shape what she's saying about the risks?
It gives her credibility, but also a particular lens. She's not speaking theoretically. She knows what it's like to be young and vulnerable and exposed to harmful content online. She's warning about the specific danger to children and adolescents who don't have the maturity or supervision to navigate it safely.
Is there hope in this research?
The awareness itself is hope. The fact that Brazil is studying this, that experts are talking about it, that there's a national campaign around suicide prevention—that matters. But the real work is in changing how we use these platforms, not just understanding the damage they do.