Research indicates a strong connection between certain social media habits and symptoms of mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression. A study conducted in Norway evaluated the impact of five online behaviors on mental health, including hostility, social comparison, passing time, and seeking support.
The researchers identified social comparison as the primary factor linked to symptoms of several mental health conditions: attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), oppositional defiant disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, and major depressive disorder. These findings were published in the journal Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health on October 17.
Peter Etchells, a psychology professor at Bath Spa University, emphasized the importance of examining different types of social media usage. He noted the transition from measuring screen time to exploring specific activities like social comparison, which involves seeing content related to personal interests and successes.
The Norwegian study involved over 4,000 adolescents, with an average age of 14. The team assessed their social media usage using the Social Media Use Scale, focusing on five behaviors: hostility from and towards others, social comparison, passing time, and seeking support. Participants also completed a phone questionnaire to assess symptoms of the five mental health conditions.
Social comparison was found to explain 20 to 26 percent of variance in symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, and major depressive disorder, and six to nine percent for ADHD and oppositional defiant disorder. Hostility from others was the second most significant predictor, explaining three to six percent of variance across all conditions.
Interestingly, merely passing time on social media did not show any independent link with mental health symptoms. However, since the study collected data at a single point, long-term effects and causality remain unclear. Etchells cautioned that without long-term data, it is difficult to determine whether poorer mental health leads to certain social media behaviors or vice versa.
The research highlights the need for further investigation into social comparison’s true impact on mental health but does not establish a definitive association. Etchells pointed out that genuinely dissecting how different interactions with social media might affect users is vital, moving beyond simplistic measures like screen time.
Etchells stressed that not all social media engagement is equal. It’s beneficial to consider how, when, and why someone uses social media rather than the overall time spent. If users feel worse after using a platform, it’s an indicator that a change might be necessary.