The Link Between Social Media and Depression

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

How does social media addiction cause depression?

According to the Child Mind Institute, particularly in young people, the more time spent on social media in pursuit of the latest news can mean less time spent in meaningful in-person social interaction, which tend to be more emotionally fulfilling than an online connection. This may mean either with family members or friends. This may mean they feel more lonely. The Child Mind Institute shares that some other reasons that social media can cause attention is by overly comparing yourself to the carefully curated images others display on social media, spending less time on important activities that build a sense of accomplish (such as physical activity), so much multitasking is actually bad for concentration and learning, and social media can disrupt sleep patterns.

Adult mental health can be affected by social media use as well, so taking care of adult mental health is important.

If you have anxiety depression may be a problem as well. Anxiety depression often go hand in hand.

If you believe you’re showing depressive symptoms, you should track your depressive symptoms and discuss them with a health care professional. Based on your depressive symptoms, they can make a strategic plan on how to help you and provide you with more health information on treatment services or resources from a national center.

If you are currently in crisis, you should reach out for help right now. The Suicide Prevention Lifeline is available now: 800-273-8255. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and is a national center dedicated wholly to the work of suicide prevention. The Suicide Prevention Lifeline will connect you with a trained suicide prevention worker who is housed at a local crisis center that is part of the suicide prevention network. Their website has additional resources and health information on suicide prevention and ways you can promote suicide prevention, including volunteering and donating. The site and lifeline are also available for family members or loved ones of those who are in crisis.

If you are interested in finding other ways to support mental health work, you may look at joining an advisory council of an organization or national center. An advisory council helps guide an organization in maintaining its mission. Some local mental health institutes have an advisory council made up of individuals who are affected by mental health situations. You can search local advisory council to see what comes up as a suggestion. Many universities will also have an advisory council. Such an advisory council is not typically open to the public, but you could contact an advisory council member on an issue of importance, such as underage drinking. You can usually find information on a university’s advisory council on its website.

Does social media cause depression in youth?

If you’re asking does social media cause depression, yes, it can, according to the Child Mind Institute. Evidence shows that heavy uses of social media cause depression, by putting young adults at a higher risk of developing depression. If you believe you are showing symptoms of depression or other mood disorders, talk to your health care provider about treatment services.

The Child Mind Institute is a good resource and national center for learning more about this issue. Part of the work the Child Mind Institute does it to empower families and educators of children with a mental health disorder. They also have information on how you can support the Child Mind Institute. The Child Mind Institute has information broken down by topic, including tech and socializing. If you’re interested in any other topic related to mental health and children, the Child Mind Institute will probably have information on that as well.

Does social media make us lonely?

Social media can make us (and particularly young adults) lonely and have other negative effects because some research shows that the connections we make online aren’t necessarily as emotionally fulfilling as in-person social interaction. Social interaction is important to our mental health and well-being. According to the Child Mind Institute, there is a correlation between social media use and perceived isolation. That means the two are connected, but we don’t know if one is actually causing the other. (That is, are people who are more socially isolated drawn to social media, or do people who use social media become more socially isolated because of it?) Other intense social media habits could be indications of other mood disorders.

Why social media is bad for teens?

According to the Child Mind Institute, social media can be bad for young adults because it may deprive young adults of meaningful in-person connections, the ability to concentrate completely and be in the present, and cause negative effects on self-esteem by constant comparison to people’s curated lives. The last factor may lead to more eating disorders, because they can become more concerned about their body image but are comparing themselves against a fabricated body image to begin with. Body image problems are not new among teens, but social media is another medium for them.

Caring too much about your online image may be indicative of other mood disorders, such as bipolar disorder.

There’s also a chance that viewing too many violent and disturbing videos online can put you at risk for developing symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. Second-hand post-traumatic stress disorder isn’t a new concept and is not meant to be compared to the post-traumatic stress disorder of those experiencing such conditions. It’s simply important to keep in mind that you may be experiencing some form of traumatic stress depending on what you’re exposing yourself to online.

For young adults, it may also normalize alcohol and drug use. For teenagers and college-aged students, there may be a pressure for underage drinking. But remaining drug free is important, particularly for any sort of mental health issue. Alcohol and drug use will only exacerbate a mental illness, so remaining drug free and drinking in health moderation is the easiest way to help your mental well-being.

If you are having a difficult time remaining drug free or are being pressured to engage in underage drinking, reach out for help. You will find peers who share the same worldview. Your university may also have some treatment services or connect you to a national center. It may feel like everyone is participating in underage drinking, but that’s not true and underage drinking can be harmful to brain development.

If you believe you are already dealing with alcohol and drug issues, talk to a health professional. They can come up with a strategic plan and treatment services to help you return to a drug free lifestyle and deal with any future underage drinking pressures. Many treatment services will treat your mental health and substance abuse disorder at the same time. Because they occur together often, plenty of treatment services are set up to deal with both. A national center may have additional resources.

Remember that even as an adult, you’re likely going to be expected to remain drug free. Your workplace will probably have measures in place to make sure you are drug. So, being drug free as a teenager and young adult sets it up to maintain a drug free lifestyle throughout life. Being drug free will also reduce your chances of other diseases and health complications, so being drug free will help your overall health in the long term.

How long do teens spend on social media?

Teens spend about nine hours a day in front of a screen. Of those who use social media, they use social media about two hours a day.

What is a healthy screen time per day?

There’s not a set consensus for a healthy amount of screen time. Most experts agree that it partially depends on what you’re doing and consuming and making sure that it’s a balance with the needs of real life and paying attention to what you need from your real life. Parents should make those determinations for their children and teens based on appropriate health information.

You can learn to mitigate some of the effects of heavy screen time here.

What are the symptoms of too much screen time?

If you’re worried about the amount of time spent on social media or on a screen, some health information that may be true includes:

• Digital motion sickness, which can you give a headache
• Soreness and cramping in your fingers, wrist, and forearm
• Eye strain
• Discomfort in the neck and spine
• Phantom sensations of your phone alerting you
• Overeating
• You’re distracted when you’re in public spaces

If you’re concerned about any of these, you can also talk to your health care practitioner about potential treatment services.