The Rubberbandits' Blindboy Boatclub has said that while he thinks social media is "a brilliant thing" he also thinks it is important to educate young people about the challenges the platform presents.
Speaking on The Late Late Show on Friday night, the Limerick native admitted that he does think "it is more difficult" for younger people to deal with anxiety.
"I think social media is a brilliant thing - I love social media; but it does present new challenges," he said.
"The NHS did a study over in England and there's a 76% rise in self-harm among young girls in particular in the past ten years.
"They say the reason for this is because of social media and body image," he added.
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Blindboy reckons social media can be constructed perfectly like a brand and says it is important of youngsters to realise what's real and what's fake online.
"There's a psychologist called Carl Rogers and he has this theory called 'The Real Self' and 'The Ideal Self'. The Real Self' is who we really are at home and 'The Ideal Self' is how we would like other people to see us.If your 'real self' and 'ideal self' are too far apart then right there exists the potential for mental health issues and anxiety.
"With social media you can construct your ideal self perfectly like a brand and that is one of the issues around social media.
"It's not like just get rid of it, we just need education around it and resilience - that's the key!"
Blindboy's new book The Gospel According to Blindboy is out now.
Here's the first glimpse of book. I just wrote the inside. Nothing to do with this or the cover, or the name .October 27 pic.twitter.com/t2Cv1rRI6a
— Rubber Bandits (@Rubberbandits) August 14, 2017
Click here to catch the interview in full on the RTÉ Player.
