Social media may contribute todepression by increasing feelings of isolation and hopelessness, cyberbullying, and sleep deprivation.- To minimize the negative
mental health effects of social media, it's important to set time limits and be mindful of engaging in positive interactions while cutting out negative ones. - This article was medically reviewed by Mayra Mendez, Ph.D., LMFT, a licensed psychotherapist at Providence Saint John's Child and Family Development Center.
Social media has become increasingly common with an estimated 3.6 billion users worldwide, and that number is projected to grow to almost 4.5 billion by 2025.
And even though social media has fundamentally altered how we communicate with one another, scientists are still researching potential
However, evidence indicates that social media may contribute to depressive symptoms, especially amongst younger populations.
Does social media cause depression?
Social media doesn't directly cause depression, but it can facilitate habits that do. When engaged in social media, it's easy to stay up too late, become distracted, and ignore responsibilities.
"Social media contributing to those things — and in addition to those things — also contributes to depression," says Lea Lis, MD, a board-certified psychiatrist with a clinical practice in Southampton, New York.
In a large 2019 Canadian study of seventh-grade students, researchers found that for every hour spent on social media, depressive symptoms — like feeling lonely, sad, and hopeless — all significantly increased.
And while the study couldn't prove that social media caused depression, it concluded that social media use should be regulated to prevent or reduce it.
Here are some of the reasons why researchers and psychologists think social media and depression are so closely correlated.
Why social media may contribute to depression
While social media doesn't directly cause depression, it fuels emotions and activities that can. From "doom scrolling" to a lack of physical activity, this is how social media may activate depressive symptoms.
Feelings of isolation: Social media can help cultivate a sense of community and lead to lasting friendships, but it can also cause FOMO, aka "fear of missing out."
"You are watching other people be together, which can enhance feelings of loneliness, envy, feeling left out, and alienated," says Gail Saltz, MD, an associate professor of psychiatry at the New York Presbyterian Hospital Weill-Cornell School of Medicine. "It creates the feeling that you are on the outside looking in, can't participate, can't measure up, and would embarrass yourself if you tried."
A large 2019 study studied the effects of social media on perceived social isolation in students aged 18 to 30 years old. Researchers found that each 10% increase in self-described negative experiences on social media enhanced feelings of isolation by 13%.
Conversely, a 10% increase in self-described positive experiences on social media did not make people feel any less isolated. Therefore, even though people can have positive experiences on social media, they do not necessarily alleviate the negative feelings of isolation.
Doomscrolling: There's this idea people tend to have that if they know everything, they can control what happens. Unfortunately, this belief often feeds into endless scrolling on Twitter or falling into a Reddit wormhole of bleak content.
This behavior is aptly known as doomscrolling, the habit of continuing to read the news on the internet even if it's depressing, sad, or disheartening. Doomscrolling can further sour your view of the world.
"One of the most painful symptoms of depression is hopelessness. If you're watching more news than you need, or otherwise paying the most attention to negative content, then yes, it will contribute to depression," says Aimee Daramus, PsyD, a licensed clinical psychologist based in Chicago, IL.
Sleep deprivation: Spending time on social media requires being awake, potentially later than your body would like. A 2019 study examined the effects of social media usage on sleep for teenagers aged 13 to 15. People who spent more than five hours a day on social media were 70% more likely to go to bed after 11 p.m. on school nights and more likely to have trouble falling back asleep.
"Sleep deprivation can increase anxiety and worsen mood," says Saltz. In fact, there is a growing body of evidence that lack of sleep may induce or exacerbate depression.
Cyberbullying: Social media has also given rise to cyberbullying, where bullies can hurl insults and negativity behind anonymous usernames that make it difficult to hold them accountable.
In a large 2018 study from the Pew Research Center, teenagers aged 13 to 17 years old and their parents shared experiences with cyberbullying.
Researchers found that 60% of girls and 59% of boys experienced some form of cyberbullying, whether it was offensive name-calling or the spreading of false rumors. This can lead to mental health issues, as cyberbullying has been linked to depressive symptoms in students.
Comparing yourself to others: Social media also makes it easy to compare your life to someone else's highlight reel. "Social media leads us to believe that everyone is living in a more perfect world than they actually are," says Lis.
A 2018 study backs up these claims, as researchers found that students comparing themselves on social media and seeking positive feedback from peers had more depressive symptoms than those who did not. This was more common amongst female students and those who identified as being less popular.
How to minimize the negative mental health effects of social media
Social media may contribute to depressive symptoms, but these four tips can help you scroll less and feel better about your time spent online.
- Turn off notifications. Try muting notifications for all apps — including emails and texts. Without these constant reminders, you may be able to limit how much time you spend on social media, says Lis.
- Set time limits. Setting a limit on how often you use social media apps will cause an alert to appear when you've gone over your allotted amount of time. Following these limits can help reduce screen time.
- Be selective. Instead of connecting with everyone on social media, Saltz recommends focusing on a few strong relationships. Then, set up times to engage with these friends face-to-face, outside digital confines.
- Use social media mindfully. Seek out positive platforms and interactions, such as meditation apps or talking to a friend, and spend less time following people you constantly compare yourself to like celebrities or models.
The bottom line
While social media use doesn't directly cause depression, it can increase the likelihood of depressive symptoms by increasing feelings of isolation, sleep deprivation, and cyberbullying. Being aware of how you feel on different social media platforms and taking a break can help mitigate these negative consequences.
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- Vitamin D and depression: How Vitamin D may affect your mood