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Study: Increasing Social Media Use Raises Depression Risk

A study has found that young adults who increased their use of social media were much more likely to develop depression within six months. The study, by researchers from the University of Arkansas and the University of Pittsburgh, was recently published by the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

The researchers asked nearly 1,300 people aged 18 to 30 a range of questions, including how much time they spent on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, Instagram and Snapchat. They also asked the study participants to fill out the Patient Health Questionnaire-9, which is used to monitor how severe someone's depression is.

Six months later the participants were checked again to see if and how their social media use and depression symptoms had changed.

Among the 990 participants who were not depressed when the study started, 95 developed depression within six months — or 9.6%. There was a significant association seen between increased social media use and those who developed depression.

Participants who spent more than 300 minutes a day on social media were 2.8 times more likely to become depressed within six months than those who used it for less than 2 hours a day.

According to the researchers, this is the first large, national study to show a link between social media use and depression over time. One of the study's authors, Dr. Brian Primack from the University of Arkansas, said, "We know from other large studies that depression and social media use tend to go together, but it’s been hard to figure out which came first."

Primack noted that high use of social media led to increased rates of depression, but having depression didn't lead to any change in social media use. This suggests that it is high social media use that comes before depression, and not the other way around. However, the study's authors say more research is needed to know for sure.

Discussion

1. What are your thoughts on the results of this study?

2. Why do you think "depression and social media use tend to go together"?

3. What do you think is the best way to help someone who is depressed?

4. Do you think you'd enjoy working as a counsellor or therapist?

5. Have you ever taken part in a medical study or experiment? If so, please share your experience. If not, would you like to?