Social Media & Mental Health

During the past decade, social media has become a central fixture in the daily lives of more than half of the global population.⁵ Social media giants like Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat claim to enhance the quality of our lives and relationships, but a growing body of research suggests that for some, these platforms are having the opposite effect.

Research conducted over the past decade has found significant correlations between social media use and a range of mental health issues including loneliness, depression, anxiety, and lowered self-esteem, especially for young people.

How Much Time Are We Spending on Social Media?

Social media use has become increasingly widespread, and the amount of time spent on social media has substantially increased over the past decade.

According to data from 2018-2020 on social media use:^3,5,10,13

• The average American adult is devoting 12-13 hours per day to screen time
• 72% of Americans use social media, along with over half of the global population
• Americans spent an average of 2 hours per day on social media in 2018 (this also equals one month of every year or 4-5 years during the course of an average lifetime)
• About 45% of Americans report increased social media use since the pandemic began
• There are over 1 million new social media users making an account each day
• Roughly 60% of people with social media accounts are daily users
• 1/3 of adults report using social media during work hours

Considering the widespread use of social media, it is important for all users to consider the following questions:

1. How much of your life is spent on social media?
2. Is social media enhancing your life and relationships enough to warrant this time commitment?

If you answer “no” to the second question, this article will help you determine possible mental health repercussions of social-media use, as well as provide advice on how to set more effective boundaries that reduce these effects. If you answer “yes” to the second question, this article still may be worthwhile to learn more about how you can continue to ensure social media enhances—and not detracts from—your quality of life.

The Role of Social Media on Mental Health

Mental health is more than just emotions and also reflects the way we interpret ourselves, others, and the world, and how these perceptions influence our experiences and our choices. We would be naïve to assume that social media (or any other type of media) does not affect our mental health, especially since it has become such a major part of daily life.

When we log on to social media, there is some conscious or unconscious intention driving this behavior. This motivation may be to stay connected with people we love, share ideas and experiences, grow our business or just entertain ourselves. What we see, share, like, and post on social media not only reflects our thoughts, feelings and actions but also influences them. Whether this influence has a positive or negative effect on our mental health depends on a number of individual factors as well as the larger context of our lives.

Factors that have been identified as either influencing positive or negative psychological effects from social media include:^{3,6,8,11,12,14}

Survey data show that about half of adults in the US report spending more time on social media since the start of the pandemic. This data also indicate more positive effects from such engagement than is typically reported. In total, 74% of users reported smart phones and devices have been helping them stay in touch with friends and family, and 43% report a positive impact on their mental well-being.⁵

Benefits of Social Media

Social media has become so integrated into our daily lives that we now use it for a number of activities other than simply liking, posting, or messaging followers. Social media includes well-known platforms like Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat, as well as sites and apps like Youtube, Tiktok, and Pinterest.

Some of the many positive uses of social media include:

• Staying connected with old friends, relatives or others who live far away
• Remaining up to date on the major events and happenings of friends, families and others
• Sharing ideas, information, and experiences across global audiences
• Compiling electronic memories of important moments and milestones
• Professional networking, employment opportunities, and business growth
• Learning and signing up for fun activities and personal or professional development events
• Raising funds, awareness or support for important causes or charities
• Posting or viewing content that evokes happiness, nostalgia, humor, or excitement
• Furthering hobbies and interests and gaining mastery in these areas
• Receiving practical and emotional support from a community with similar problems or issues
• Making more informed decisions about health, parenting, work, relationships and any other area of life

Consequences of Social Media

Social media is not inherently bad, but it has increasingly been presented negatively because of the growing awareness of the negative effects it can have, especially on young people. These repercussions do not present in everyone, and are instead idiosyncratic, depending on the way social media is utilized, and the role it plays in life and relationships. The following sections review some of the negative effects of social media that have been researched the most.

Negative Effects of Social Media on Mental Health

Many of the concerns about social media come from research linking social media use to a range of emotional and mental health issues. The exact relationship between these mental health issues and social media use is not fully understood and does not necessarily indicate that social media caused these issues. This link could also indicate that people with existing issues or predispositions gravitate more towards social media as a way of coping. Alternatively, this relationship could indicate that social media is exacerbating pre-existing conditions.

Research has linked social media use (especially heavy use among children, teens and young adults) with the following psychological issues:^2,4,6,12,14

• Increased rates of depression, especially in younger girls and teens
• Increased anxiety, especially in younger boys and teens
• Increased self-harm and suicide ideation and attempts in children and teens who have a history of these issues or who are victims of cyberbullying.
• Increased reports of loneliness have been noted among teens and young adults, who are the heaviest users of social media.
• Fear of missing out or “FOMO” is often found to be a component in people who report their mental health is negatively affected by social media. FOMO describes feeling excluded, jealous or upset when seeing posts of others.
• Lowered self-esteem and poor body-image is linked to higher levels of social media use, particularly among pre-teen and teen girls.
• Inattentiveness has been linked more generally to people who are heavy users of the internet, and learning problems are noted in young children who have excessive amounts of screen time.
• Poor social skills have become more prevalent among children and teens who grew up exposed to social media and mobile devices, likely because of the decrease in interactions that occur in-person.
• Behavior problems and aggression have been linked to heavy internet or social media use in children.
• Narcissistic tendencies have been linked to narcissism or an overinflated sense of confidence and superiority based on number of likes, followers, and comments on posts and pictures.

Negative Effects of Social Media on Physical Health

Social media use is just one component of a larger issue in our society concerning screen time and unhealthy lifestyle choices.

Spending 12-13 hours per day on screens contributes to many health problems, including:^6,10

Insomnia

Blue light emitted from mobile devices has stimulating effects similar to caffeine, and using a device before bedtime can keep people up. Notifications can also play a role in disrupting sleep, and because devices and apps are designed to keep our attention, it is easy to stay up later than intended using one of these devices.

Sedentary Lifestyles

As screen time has begun to dominate the majority of our waking hours, Americans have become far more sedentary and are spending much more of their days sitting. Sedentary lifestyles are linked to a host of chronic health problems including obesity, heart disease, diabetes, cancer and early death.

Eye and Neck Strain

Looking at screens for extended periods of time places excessive strain on the eyes and neck, and can contribute to vision problems, neck pain, back pain, and headaches.

Seizures

People who have epilepsy may be triggered by excessive screen time due to hypersensitivity to flashing lights and other visual overstimulation common with screen use.

Other Potential Risks of Social Media Use

In addition to negative impacts on physical and mental health, social media users of all ages are often exposed to damaging, upsetting, and abusive online behaviors.

The more active a social media user is, the more they are at risk of the following exposures which increase the risk of adverse psychological effects:^{4,7,8,9,11,12}

• Cyberbullying, trolling or hate speech
• Explicit sexual or pornographic content
• Unwanted sexting or revenge porn
• Catfishing or having someone target their personal information
• Misinformation or “fake news”
• Politically charged messages and propaganda
• Targeted advertising which can increase impulse purchases
• Content featuring self-harm or suicidal messages
• Exposure to artificial and altered pictures that create an unobtainable standard of beauty

The Risk of Social Media Addiction

In the recently released Netflix documentary The Social Dilemma, previous executives from Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter admit that social media is designed to be addictive, and that huge sums of money are spent to find ways to make it more addictive. Social media sites are backed with advanced algorithms that adapt content according to what each user likes, clicks on, and spends time looking at.

This algorithm (along with notifications and other tactics) is constantly learning which content is more likely to grab and keep our attention, aiming to make it more difficult to pull ourselves away, sometimes leading to social media addiction.

In the documentary, these founding executives also explain that getting “likes” on posts causes the release of dopamine, the addictive chemical most responsible for the “high” drug users experience. Over time, the use of a dopaminergic drug causes addiction pathways to form in the brain which increase cravings and make it much more difficult to stop using.

Social media companies (and many other apps and games) have also found ways to optimize this process and cause larger stores of dopamine to be released at once, intensifying the rewards users experience.

While social media addiction is not a formally recognized diagnosis, it shares many of the same features as addictions to drugs or alcohol. Studies have found that social media users often display the same physical and psychological symptoms as people addicted to drugs or alcohol.⁶ Understanding the symptoms of substance addiction may provide useful insight into whether social media is addictive and if our use of it resembles other addictive disorders.

According to the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), misusing substances and having two or more of the following symptoms can indicate the presence of a mild addiction, 3-5 symptoms indicates a moderate addiction, and 6 or more symptoms indicates a severe addiction:¹

• Using more substances or more frequently than planned or intended
• Having urges or cravings to use
• Repeated unsuccessful attempts to cut back or stop using
• Excessive time devoted to using
• Continued use despite negative impacts to physical or mental health
• Using in situations where it could be hazardous (i.e. while driving)
• Interpersonal/social conflicts or problems related to use
• Neglecting important responsibilities to use
• Giving up important or enjoyable activities to use
• Needing to use more or for longer than before to feel the same effects
• Physical or psychological distress or discomfort when use is stopped

Indications that Social Media Is Affecting Your Mental Health

The indications of problematic social media use may not be obvious, and some people do not recognize that it is negatively impacting their mental health. They may attribute their symptoms to other causes or may just be distracted when using social media and not tuned into their emotions. Paying attention to how you feel before, during and after using social media can help you become more aware of how it is impacting you, and whether you need to place boundaries around your usage.

Some symptoms that may indicate that social media is negatively impacting you include:

• Having strong urges throughout the day to check social media or being unable to resist checking when a social media notification is sent
• Feeling anxious or upset when you cannot access social media
• Negatively comparing yourself or your life to what you see on social media
• Noticing that you use social media more when you are sad, lonely, anxious or upset
• Frequently feeling left out or like you are “missing out” when viewing social media posts
• Social media interrupting your work, time with others, or other important activities
• Losing track of time and accidentally being on social media for hours at a time
• Anxiety and frequent checking to see whether other users have liked, commented or shared your post
• Spending long periods of time looking at feeds of others on social media but rarely or never commenting, liking, or using the site to interact and connect
• Becoming more self-conscious or dissatisfied with your appearance or not liking the way you look without using excessive filters or alterations
• Being drawn into drama, conflicts, or heated debates on social media that make you more upset or make you feel negatively about others
• Feeling more anxious, sad, lonely, angry or upset after spending time on social media
• Setting limits around your use of social media that you cannot abide by

Healthy Boundaries & Social Media

The following steps should be taken by anyone who regularly uses social media:

1. Monitor Use & Watch for Red Flags

Anyone who uses social media should work on becoming more aware of how often they are using social media apps/sites and how much time they are spending on them by using the screen time reports on their devices. It is also important to recognize when social media is having a negative impact on you or some area of your life (see warning signs in previous section).

2. Set Limits & Boundaries

Have limits already in mind about how much time you want to spend on social media. If your goal is to significantly reduce your use, consider starting slowly by cutting down your daily use by about 30 minutes each week until getting to a limit you feel comfortable with. Many people find they are more successful when they make gradual changes vs sudden ones, but this is not always the case. If you need additional accountability, consider using an app that blocks or limits your use.

3. Enhance Offline Relationships

When social media is used to replace more meaningful offline relationships and activities, people are more likely to experience negative psychological effects. Make an effort to use your free time to engage in activities and strengthen relationships that you find rewarding and fulfilling, instead of defaulting to mindless activities on your phone.

Avoid turning to social media (or anything online) as a method of coping or distracting you from difficult emotions, as this increases the risk of forming an unhealthy dependence.

4. Adjust Social Media Settings

Adjusting your settings on social media can also be a helpful way to reduce specific negative effects. If you find that you are constantly distracted by notifications from social media, consider turning these notifications off. If you find that following certain people or topics triggers you to feel sad or insecure, consider unfollowing. If you are concerned about who is able to see your posts, review your privacy settings and adjust them to protect your more private information.

5. Use Social Media More Intentionally

Figure out the positive uses of social media that enhance your life and relationships and be more intentional about using social media in these ways, rather than in other ways that have neutral or negative impacts. For example, if you use Facebook to stay in touch with friends and family that live far away, make a point to message and interact with them when you log on.

If you look to Pinterest or Instagram for creative inspiration or DIY projects, engage in these activities more. If your feed is filled with posts that are not relevant to these uses, consider unfollowing certain people or pages to help ensure that you see the content you want to see.

Setting Limits on Social Media for Children & Teens

If you are a parent, you should be tuned in to what your child or teen is doing on their devices. The younger your child is, the more parental supervision is needed to help protect them from harmful effects that social media and other online exposures can have on them.

Some of the steps parents should consider taking include:^4,7,8,9,12

1. Consider Restricting Social Media Until a Child Is in High School

Research consistently has shown that younger kids and teens are far more susceptible to being negatively affected by social media and that this risk lessens as children get older. If possible, limit your children’s access to social media or be highly selective about which social media accounts you let them create (i.e. pinterest but not snapchat).

2. Utilize Parental Controls

If your child or teen has a smartphone, tablet or other device, you need to make sure that you set up parental controls (in settings) to monitor what they are doing and to restrict certain sites, apps or activities.

3. Educate Your Child or Teen About Social Media

Provide education to your child or teen about the potential harmful effects of social media and excessive use of their devices. These warings can help them understand the need for limits, but also prepare them to expect some resistance and backlash, especially if you are setting new limits on existing devices. Help your kids stay safe online by providing them with information about catfishing, sexting, and cyberbullying, and making sure they do not share personal or identifying information online.

4. Follow Your Child or Teen on Social Media

Parents should make an effort to stay up to date on the apps their child is using, how they work, and what their children are posting. If a child has Tiktok or Snapchat, following them and ensuring they provide access to their posts and activities on these apps is important to help supervise their use.

Some of these apps cannot filter out age-inappropriate content, so make sure you have an understanding of the app’s content guidelines before allowing them to create an account. You could also create shared social media or email accounts to ensure you are monitoring their content or require they provide their login.

5. Designate Device-Free Times

Letting your child or teen have constant access to their devices can lead to overuse. Research suggests that limiting use to less than an hour for younger kids and a bit more time for teens may be  prudent.

Possible device-free time may include dinner, before bed, and during times designated for specific activities like homework, class, sports, or family activities. Make sure you are also modeling this behavior by honoring device-free rules you put into place that apply to family activities.

Additional Resources for Social Media & Mental Health

Those looking for more in-depth information, statistics, and resources on social media use, its impacts, and how to protect yourself and your family can find this on the following sites:

• The Nielson Total Audience Special 2020 report provides in-depth statistics on media use, screen time, and activities and insights into how COVID has changed these behaviors.
• Organization for Social Media Safety’s website provides expert insight, information and resources to help people protect themselves and their loved ones from the potential harms of social media.
• PEW Research conducts large-scale national surveys that provide insights about a variety of human behaviors and trends in the US, including the use of social media.