By Marija Kelber, Ph.D., Dawn Bellanti, DNP, Lisa Shank, Ph.D., MPH
Dec. 17, 2024
Photo by iStock.com/lakshmiprasad S
Over the past several decades, there has been a marked increase in mental health problems and suicidality among youth in the United States and globally. These patterns are concerning and puzzling. The increase in mental health problems among youth coincided with the advent of social media. In addition, many studies have found that individuals who report increased social media use also report increased mental health symptoms. This has led some scientists to propose that social media use may be directly responsible for the increase in mental health problems among youth.1,2
The association between social media use and mental health problems has raised questions for policymakers in the Military Health System responsible for the health care of the nation’s service members and their family members. Many service members are young adults and may use social media in a similar way to civilians; however, research on the association of social media use and mental health in service members is lacking. Therefore, we reviewed research studies conducted in civilian youth to further examine the association of social media use and mental health.
Youth spend a large amount of time on social media. By some estimates, a quarter of individuals aged 14-22 are using social media almost constantly.3 Heavy use may be a sign of problematic social media use, which some researchers have termed “social media addiction.” Individuals with problematic social media use feel unable to control their social media use, experience distress when they are not able to use social media, or suffer negative consequences associated with their excessive use, such as social or academic problems. Based on our recent review of the literature, we found that problematic social media use is associated with depression and anxiety and this relationship appeared to go in both directions. Youth with problematic social media use were more likely to exhibit depression and anxiety over time; however, those with higher rates of depression or anxiety initially were also more likely to develop problematic social media use over time. We also found that problematic use of social media was associated with impairments in occupational functioning, such as worsened job performance.4
While it may be tempting to conclude that the rise in mental health symptoms among youth is directly caused by social media use, we are not able to say that definitively. The findings are based on observational research that can point to an association but cannot establish that the social media use is causing mental health symptoms or that depression or anxiety causes problematic social media use. In addition, the associations between problematic social media use and mental health symptoms appear to be small. If social media was the main or sole culprit responsible for the rise in mental health symptoms among youth, we would expect to see much stronger effects than what the research has reported so far. Additionally, social media use may also have some benefits, such as decreasing loneliness and providing opportunities for self-expression for some individuals.3 Finally, there are other factors that could explain increases in mental health symptoms over the last couple of decades, such as increased stress, loneliness, and sleep difficulties, reduced physical activity, as well as less stigma around reporting psychological symptoms.5-8
As researchers continue to look for answers, individuals may be left wondering what to do about their own or loved ones’ heavy social media use. Studies with mostly college-aged students have explored whether interventions targeting social media use can improve mental well-being. Interventions include completely abstaining from social media, limiting the amount of time spent on social media, and therapy-based approaches. A recent systematic review found mixed findings based on a small number of studies; some studies showed that depression and anxiety improved after social media interventions, while other studies did not find substantial improvement in these symptoms.9 Compared to limiting or abstaining from social media use, this review found that therapy-based interventions showed the most improvement in mental well-being. These therapies included cognitive behavioral therapy and group psychological counselling that help people become more aware of and mindful about their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors related to social media. Limiting social media use to a daily time restriction appeared to be the least effective intervention. One possible application of this research is to create web-based self-guided therapy-based interventions for people with problematic social media use.
Future research will likely improve our understanding of the effects of social media on mental health. A better understanding of when and how to intervene when problematic social media use is suspected will also be helpful. In the meantime, attempting to prevent social media use from becoming problematic may be beneficial. Encouraging youngsters to socialize in face-to-face settings and to enjoy hobbies and activities that do not rely on technology may prove useful. Because social media may impact military readiness, military service members may also want to reflect on their own social media use and how it may be impacting their mental health and job performance. Furthermore, knowing the signs of problematic social media use and seeking help when social media use becomes problematic appear to be worthwhile wellness initiatives.
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References
- Twenge, J., Joiner, T., Rogers, M., & Martin, G. (2018). Increases in depressive symptoms, suicide-related outcomes, and suicide rates among U.S. adolescents after 2010 and links to increased new media screen time. Clinical Psychological Science, 6(1), 3-17.
- Haidt, J. (2024). The anxious generation: How the great rewiring of childhood is causing an epidemic of mental illness. Random House.
- Rideout V., Fox, S., Peebles A., Robb, M.B. (2021). Coping with COVID-19: How young people use digital media to manage their mental health. Common Sense and Hopelab. https://www.commonsensemedia.org/research/coping-with-covid19-how-young-people-use-digital-media-to-manage-their-mental-health.
- Kelber, M. S., Shank, L. M., Boyd, C., Bellanti, D. M., Morgan, M. A., Libretto, S., Edwards-Stewart, A., Parisi, K. & Evatt, D. P. (2024). A systematic review of problematic social media use and occupational functioning. Current Psychology, 43, 34297–34305.
- Eisenberg, D., Lipson, S. K., Ceglarek, P., Kern, A., & Phillips, M. V. (2018). College student mental health: The national landscape. In Promoting behavioral health and reducing risk among college students (pp. 75-86). Routledge: New York, NY.
- Högberg, B., Strandh, M., & Hagquist, C. (2020). Gender and secular trends in adolescent mental health over 24 years–the role of school-related stress. Social Science & Medicine, 250, 112890.
- Mahindru, A., Patil, P., & Agrawal, V. (2023). Role of physical activity on mental health and well-being: A review. Cureus, 15(1).
- Palagini, L., Hertenstein, E., Riemann, D., & Nissen, C. (2022). Sleep, insomnia and mental health. Journal of Sleep Research, 31(4), e13628.
- Plackett, R., Blyth, A., & Schartau, P. (2023). The impact of social media use interventions on mental well-being: Systematic review. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 25, e44922.
Marija Kelber, PH.D. is a research psychologist and a team lead for Evidence Synthesis and Dissemination at the Psychological Health Center of Excellence. Dawn Bellanti, D.N.P. is an implementation scientist and evidence synthesis reviewer on the Evidence Synthesis and Dissemination team. Lisa Shank, Ph.D. is a research psychologist and evidence synthesis reviewer on the Evidence Synthesis and Dissemination team.