There is perhaps no adult population in the United States that has to conduct themselves with as much caution on social media as those employed in the U.S. military. What servicepersons do in public view (digital or otherwise) reflects not just on their branch of the Armed Forces, but theoretically on the nation. At the same time, there a few groups who may also benefit from social media engagement as servicepersons.
Social networks were initially created to bridge geographical gaps and allow people to easily build digital communities, share information, and stay connected with friends, family, and others from a distance. Members of the military, and their families, experience significant isolation due to frequent relocations, long deployments, and the unique nature of the culture. More than half of active-duty members report feeling isolated during deployments or transitions, and many struggle to reintegrate because civilians often cannot relate to their shared traumas and experiences. Engagement on social media allows them to stay connected with those they care about, form new relationships at an arm’s length, and join like-minded communities where they can share unclassified experiences. Below is a brief summary of how social media – when used responsibly – can be advantageous to the wellbeing of active and retired servicepersons.
Mental Health Benefits of Social Media for Members of the U.S. Military
- Maintain relationships (active): Social media allows active servicepersons the opportunity to stay connected to family and loved ones during deployment. This is good for their mental wellbeing as it can significantly reduce isolation, foster a sense of normalcy, and provide immediate emotional validation during high-stress periods.
- Maintain relationships (veterans): Social media allows veterans the opportunity to find, reconnect with, and stay connected with those they served and formed bonds with while in the service. This is beneficial as it can foster a vital sense of belonging, which is a major factor in mitigating isolation, reducing PTSD symptoms, and supporting overall mental health.
- Join communities for shared experiences (active and retired): Social media allows active and retired servicepersons the opportunity to connect to peers who understand what one another is going through, and has gone through, in service to their country. This is good for their mental health as it can break down geographic barriers, create a safe space for veterans to share experiences, access immediate peer support, and reduce isolation.
- Join communities for other personal interests (active and retired): Social media allows active and retired servicepersons the opportunity connect with communities with shared interests, outside of the military experience. Examples may include online clubs and groups focused on classic cars, outdoor recreation, et cetera. This offers a healthy mental escape from high-stress military environments, and validates their identity beyond their profession.
- Share passion projects (active and retired): Social media allows active and retired servicepersons the opportunity to showcase their affinity with and talents for various creative endeavors. For instance, an individual may not have the opportunity or feel encouraged to share their passion for carpentry, photography, painting, or music (etc.) with military peers, but are free to do so on social networks such as Instagram, Pinterest, or YouTube. This can be beneficial to their mental wellbeing because it allows them to explore an identity outside of their profession and potentially experience a subsequent boost in self-esteem.
- Supplement income (active): With written approval from their commanding officer to ensure adherence to policy (see below), social media allows active servicepersons the opportunity to earn passive supplementary income. This may be possible through showcasing their persona (as an influencer), eCommerce (selling goods they’ve made or curated), and freelance consulting in their field of knowledge/skill (accounting, marketing, etc.). Mental health benefits are experienced via relieved financial stress, which is a major driver of service-related anxiety. Servicepersons may also enjoy a vital creative/professional outlet outside of the rigid chain of command where they can build a supportive community that reduces the isolation of military life.
- Supplement income (veterans): Social media allows veterans the opportunity to earn supplementary income, more so than their active peers due to fewer restrictions and greater availability. This flexible, remote earning opportunity can significantly boost mental health by providing financial security and replacing the structured purpose lost after service.
It’s evident that there are potentially important advantages to social media usage for active and retired members of the military. However, the nation is also well aware of the mental health risks associated with various social networking platforms. Adding a layer of complexity to the matter, is that servicepersons are generally more vulnerable to developing unhealthy behavior on these platforms when compared to the civilian population. Awareness of these vulnerabilities and greater mindfulness regarding continued engagement on social media is therefore critical to securing a healthy balance for America’s cherished guardians. Please keep reading.
Mental Health Overview of Why U.S. Military Must be More Mindful of Their Relationship with Social Media
I. Unhealthy Use May Lead to Policy Violations
Before identifying vulnerabilities and signs of unhealthy use to monitor for, it’s important to address how unhealthy use of social media may directly or indirectly lead servicepersons to violate policy regarding representation and national security, which may have significant career consequences. Below is a summary of social media policy for each branch of the U.S. military.
a) U.S. Army Social Media Policy
- Personal accounts must be clearly identifiable as personal. Soldiers and their Families are personally responsible for all content they publish on social networking sites, blogs and other websites.
- Avoid use of DoD titles, insignia, uniforms or symbols in a way that could imply DoD sanction or endorsement of content on your personal page. Also avoid misrepresenting yourself as an official DoD spokesperson on your personal account.
- Soldiers and their Families are expected to conduct themselves on social media with dignity and respect, as outlined in AR 600-20. The U.S. Army defines online conduct as the use of electronic communications in an official or personal capacity in a manner that is consistent with Army values and standards of conduct.
View the full U.S. Army Social Media Policy here.
b) U.S. Marine Corps Social Media Policy
The U.S. Marine Corps has published a very robust 50+ page handbook on social media usage, covering details such as who leaders may and may not follow, required privacy settings per network, maintaining operational security, blogging / vlogging best practices, and guidelines regarding usage of the Eagle, Globe and Anchor (EGA) symbol.
“When expressing personal opinions, you must make clear that you are speaking for yourself and not on behalf of the Marine Corps. Plus, making sure the information you post about the Corps is accurate and appropriate isn’t enough, you should carefully consider the non-Marine related content you post, since the lines between your personal and professional life are easily crossed when communicating online. Avoid offensive and inappropriate behavior that could bring discredit upon yourself and the Marine Corps. This means that you shouldn’t post anything that is defamatory, libelous, obscene, abusive, threatening, racially or ethnically hateful, or otherwise offensive or illegal information or material.
Use your best judgment at all times and keep in mind how the content of your posts will reflect upon you, your unit, and the Marine Corps. Be aware that you lose control over basically everything you post online and that many social media sites like Facebook, X (Twitter), and YouTube have policies that give them ownership of all content and information posted or stored on their systems. You may have said it, but they own it. What happens online, stays online – and everywhere else.
View the full U.S. Marine Coprs Social Media Policy here.
c) U.S. Navy Social Media Policy
The U.S. Navy has also produced a detailed and recently updated social media handbook to account for recent violations resulting in terminations.
“As a Sailor, you are often the best spokesperson the Navy has; you can share a direct, unfiltered perception of what it means to serve your country and can provide personal insights into life in the Navy. However, you do not always have complete control to decide when you are and are not speaking for the Navy, so you must understand how to communicate responsibly as an individual, taking care not to do or say anything to cast yourself or the Navy in a negative or unintended light.”
View the full U.S. Navy Social Media Policy here.
d) U.S. Air Force Social Media Policy
The U.S. Air Force (which also includes the U.S. Space Force) offers two handbooks; one for the Air Force Academy (AFA) and another for the Department of the Air Force Public Affairs (DAF) which both cover personal engagement on social media, each of which covers the same relative themes.
- You are personally responsible for what you say and post on social networking services and any other medium. You can be held in violation of the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) for inappropriate social media posts.
- Consider how a post can be interpreted by the public. Be cautious about crossing the line between funny and distasteful. If you have doubts about whether you should post something, err on the side of caution. If the post in question concerns the Air Force, discuss the proposed post with your supervisor or your USAFA public affairs office.
- Maintain appropriate communication and conduct with officer and enlisted personnel, peers, superiors and subordinates (to include civilian superiors and subordinates). Per the CSP, upper-class cadets may not develop relationships with fourth class cadets via social media.
View the full AFA policy here and the DAF policy here.
e) U.S. Coast Guard Social Media Policy
The U.S. Coast Guard has published one of the most highly-detailed yet highly-digestible social media handbooks for its personnel, which includes a section of monetization for would-be influencers employed by the Coast Guard.
View the full U.S. Coast Guard social media policy here.
II. Greater Vulnerability to Social Media Addiction
Understanding the importance of adherence to policies laid out by each branch of the U.S. Armed Forces, members of the military can now consider their vulnerabilities to unhealthy social media use.
To begin with, social media platforms such as META’s Instagram are designed to be addictive. Developers employ features that mirror dopamine-looping experiences provided by online slot machines, including i) infinite scroll ii) delivery of variable rewards, iii) content autoplay, iv) enticing alerts and notifications, and v) content newness and novelty.
Active and retired members of the military are predisposed to developing addictive behavior on social media due to a combination of detrimental experiences and mental health issues associated with, and/or attained / elevated by time in service. These concerns all intersect with self-reported social media addiction. Relationships are complex, but the breakdown below provides insight into why servicepersons may struggle to maintain a healthy relationship with social media.
Adverse childhood experiences: Studies suggest that individuals who experience early abuse, trauma, maltreatment, or neglect may engage with content and other users on social media as a coping mechanism to manage emotional distress, such as anxiety or social isolation. Research confirms that military members and veterans report higher rates of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) compared to the general civilian population.
Mental health issues: Research confirms that high-levels of anxiety, attention-deficit hyperactivity-disorder (ADHD), chronic stress, depression, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are all associated with higher rates of addictive behavior on social media. Studies verify that military members exhibit higher rates of all of these conditions when compared to the civilian population.
Behavioral health issues: Research also suggests that individuals who struggle with online gambling, trading, video gaming, and hypersexuality (e.g., pornography addiction) exhibit higher rates of addictive behavior on social media. Studies confirm that military members exhibit higher rates of all of these behavioral issues when compared to the civilian population. This risk factor is elevated by boredom, which is widely characterized as long periods of tedium punctuated by sudden bursts of high-stress action. Research shows that deployment monotony – rather than combat – often drives later behavioral issues, to cope with the lack of stimulation.
III. Signs of Unhealthy Social Media Use Among Military
Recognizing vulnerabilities, we now ask active and retired servicepersons (in addition to family members) to monitor for signs and symptoms of unhealthy social media use. This will encourage greater mindfulness. If multiple signs listed below, or even just one of the more severe ones, are evident, counseling-support is strongly recommended.
- You lose track of time when scrolling through and engaging with any social network.
- You have an uncontrollable urge to frequently refresh social media feeds, stories, posts.
- Social media is the last thing you look at before bed, and the first thing you look at in the morning upon waking.
- You engage with social media when waking up in the middle of the night (often linked to nighttime anxiety).
- You get irritable, restless, or anxious when they are not able to get on social media.
- You are on your mobile device/s, scrolling through social media when not safe, such as when operating heavy machinery, weaponry, or when using equipment at the gym.
- You are on your mobile device/s and scrolling through social media when not appropriate, such as when on-base engaged in training, specialized trade tasks, equipment maintenance, and administrative duties.
- Your opinions on sociopolitical (and related) affairs are formed entirely by what you’re exposed to on social media as opposed to using your own critical thinking and in-person discussions with fellow servicepersons, friends, and loved ones to form opinions.
- You have an outlook on life that is greatly influenced and informed by who (influencers) and what you’re exposed to on social media.
- You feel the need to constantly comment on, share, and save content that you come across on social media.
- You feel sad, upset, or disappointed when not getting engagement (comments, likes, shares, views) on the content you have shared on social media. Conversely, you experience a dopamine rush when you do receive engagement on the content you have shared on social media, and chase the high by obsessing over what to post next.
- You frequently participate in doomscrolling on social media (view more on doomscrolling addiction).
- You have lost interest in other activities – often healthier ones – that you used to care about so that you can maintain focus on social media.
- You engage with social media as a primary means to cope with and escape feelings of boredom.
- You engage with social media as a means to cope with and escape negative feelings and emotions.
- You (active serviceperson) often violate social media policy associated with your branch of the U.S. military.
- You have attempted to control or cut down on social media usage without success.
IV. Specialized Support for Servicepersons
Are you an active member of the military, a veteran, or loved one of a serviceperson who may exhibit unhealthy behavior on social media and/or other online activity? The nation’s most highly-specialized mental health support service is available to you through Kindbridge Behavioral Health. Not only are we America’s leading virtual treatment provider for those struggling with digital dependencies, we have a deep pedigree in counseling services for active and retired members of the U.S. Armed Forces.
We are proud to offer FREE no-commitment mental and behavioral health assessments and have various programs in place to offer FREE ongoing counseling to the military in certain regions (view here). Additionally, we have partnered with one of the two main regional managed-care health plans for the U.S. military, serving active-duty members, retirees, and their families. Through our partnership with TriWest Healthcare Alliance, we are able to provide covered comprehensive support across 26 states. We have also partnered with other insurance providers that may further supplement counseling for digital dependencies and cooccurring mental health issues. Reach out today by clicking below or calling the provided number to begin with a FREE assessment.
