Are Social Media Use and Depression Linked?
And if so, should you just delete your account?
Ah social media—our best friend and worst enemy. Despite its faults, we can’t write it off completely because it connects us to our people, and, well… it can be fun! But we can’t ignore the fact it can be hard on our mental health.
What is Depression?
Depression is the most common mental health condition. As defined by the Mayo Clinic, depression is “a mood disorder that causes a persistent feeling of sadness and loss of interest.” This loss of interest can manifest in difficulties completing everyday tasks and troubles with work or schoolwork.
Depression usually begins during early adulthood, and enough people are being diagnosed that it’s expected to become the leading cause of disability by 2030. Many variables affect the onset and severity of depression, and the rising presence of social media in people’s lives has become one of great interest.
One group of researchers looked into the connection between social media use and depression in young American adults.
How Much Time Are People Spending on Social Media?
In the study, two main measures were taken to understand participants’ social media use.
Participants were asked to estimate how much time they spent on social media sites each day, not including time spent on social media for work.
Participants were asked to report their use of eleven popular social media sites: Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, Google+, YouTube, Pinterest, Tumblr, Vine, Snapchat, and Reddit. Seven options for responses ranged from “I do not use this platform” to “I use this platform 5 or more times a day
From this data, the researchers found that the median time per day of social media use was 61 minutes. Only 58 participants (3.2%) reported not using any social media at all.
What Is the Connection Between Social Media Use and Depression?
1,787 participants filled out a questionnaire with particulars about their age, sex, race, education, household income, social media use, and indications of depression.
Depression was measured using Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS). 44.5% of the participants had had no indicators of depression in the past week and were therefore placed in the “low” group. 26.3% were designated into the “high” group.
Those who used social media the most every day were significantly more likely to have depression. This link could be explained in two ways:
High social media use (2+ hours/day) = more feelings of depression due to online comparison, envy, and guilt about overuse.
Feelings of depression = higher social media use in search of validation.
Who is Most Affected by Depression From Social Media Use?
When studying this connection, the researchers considered age, sex, race, education level, and household income. Each of these interacted differently with social media use and feelings of depression.
Age was most consistently associated with social media use. The younger the participant, the more likely they were to spend a significant amount of time on social media each day. When considering age alongside depression, those aged 27-32 made up most of the “high” depression category (38.7%).
Young women were the most common demographic of the “high” depression group. Younger women with lower education levels (high school diploma or less) used social media the most and experienced the most feelings of depression.
How Can We Use Social Media Safely?
We don’t share this information to throw you into despair. We simply want to arm people with the tools (information) they need to make healthy social media choices and boundaries.
In fact, studies like this could ideally be used to inform the treatment of illnesses like depression. If clinicians are aware of the connections between social media use and depression, they can look out for signs of concerning social media use and treat people more effectively.
Don’t worry—you don’t have to get rid of your accounts if you’re concerned. If you can consciously use social media as a tool for real connections, you’ll be just fine. However, if you want to hit that delete or deactivate button, that’s totally okay too. Whatever protects your peace and mental health is your decision to make.
*If you’re experiencing signs of depression please reach out to loved ones for help, or follow this link for online resources: https://bit.ly/3PcJrzg.
Study Objectives & Methods
Association Between Social Media Use and Depression Among U.S. Young Adults
Liu yi, B.A.; Jaime E. Sidan, PhD; Ariel Shensa, M.A.; Ana Radovic, M.D.; Elizabeth Miller, M.D., PhD; Jason B. Colditz, M.Ed.; Beth L. Hoffman, B.Sc.; Leila M. Giles, B.S.; Brian A Primack, M.D., PhD.
Published in Computers in Human Behaviour in 2017.
This group of researchers set out to discover any links between social media use and depression. They recruited 1,787 participants between the ages of 18-30 and had them fill out a web-based survey, then a follow-up survey 18 months later. The data used in the study was collected from the follow-up survey. The study took about 15 minutes to complete, with individuals entering information about their sex, age, race, household income, education levels, social media use, and depression.
Social Media and Well-Being Training
This research (and all our social media and well-being articles) have laid the foundation for our 3-course program designed for anyone wanting to approach social media and communications in a way that protects well-being and puts people first. Learn more here.
