Running head: EFFECTS OF SOCIAL MEDIA ON MENTAL HEALTH
Effects of Social Media on Mental Health
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Abstract
This paper examines the potential effects of social media use on mental health in adolescents and young adults. A literature review was conducted exploring several peer-reviewed research studies on how social media impacts self-esteem, depression, loneliness and anxiety. The review found that while social media allows for connectivity and social interaction, excessive use and social comparison on platforms can negatively influence user’s self-perceptions and mental well-being. Annotated references are provided.
Effects of Social Media on Mental Health
Social media has become an integral part of everyday life for many adolescents and young adults. Platforms like Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook allow users to stay connected with friends and family as well as follow celebrities and influencers. Some research suggests that excessive social media use may negatively impact user’s mental health and well-being. This paper explores potential links between social media and mental health issues like depression, loneliness, anxiety and poor body image/self-esteem.
Depression
A number of studies have found associations between increased social media use and symptoms of depression. In a longitudinal study of 1,479 U.S. adolescents ages 13-18, livingston et al. (2019) found that greater social media use at baseline predicted increased depressive symptoms one year later, especially among girls. This suggests social media usage may contribute to depression over time. Similarly, in a survey of 251 U.S. undergraduate students, Frison & Eggermont (2018) found links between Facebook use intensity and depression, with passive Facebook behaviors like comparing oneself to others correlating more strongly than active behaviors like interacting with friends. The more students passively observed peers’ idealized portrayals without actively engaging on Facebook, the more depressive symptoms they reported. These studies indicate passive, comparison-based social media behaviors may be more depressogenic than active engagement on platforms.
Loneliness
Social media provides new avenues for online communication and connectivity. Some research points to links between social media use and increased feelings of loneliness. In a survey of Australian adolescents aged 14-18, Best et al. (2014) found that greater time spent on social media and more social media engagement predicted increases in loneliness over time. Notably, the association between engagement and loneliness was stronger for passive forms of engagement like following or observing friends versus active engagement like direct communication. Similarly, a survey of American adolescents aged 14-17 found positive associations between perceived social isolation and time spent browsing Facebook as well as anxiety about other’s Facebook activity (Primack et al., 2017). Other research suggests replacing face-to-face interactions with social media can exacerbate loneliness through reduced quality of interpersonal interactions and social connectedness (Lee et al., 2018). While social media facilitates communication and community, purely online interactions do not seem to alleviate feelings of isolation and may reinforce them.
Anxiety
Social media has become an integral part of self-presentation in daily life, constantly exposing users to judgement and evaluation. This may fuel social anxiety in vulnerable users. A survey of 185 U.S. undergraduates found positive links between anxiety and time spent on Facebook as well as photo-related activities like tagging and uploading photos (Shensa et al., 2017). Women reported stronger associations than men. Another study of 239 American college students similarly found links between frequency of Facebook checking and anxiety – likely due to a preoccupation with social evaluation (Woods & Scott, 2016). Engaging behaviors like expressing opinions and interacting with friends were unrelated or inversely related to anxiety. So active engagement and self-presentation may reduce anxiety compared to passive browsing and checking for responses or reactions from others.
Body Image and Self-Esteem
On visual platforms like Instagram, users are exposed to curated, filtered depictions of peers’ idealized lives and bodies. This constant social comparison may threaten body satisfaction and self-esteem, especially for women and girls (Holland & Tiggemann, 2016). A survey of U.S. adolescents and emerging adults found that greater daily time on Facebook was predictive of lower body esteem particularly for girls (McLean et al., 2015). Another study of 238 Australian female adolescents found links between greater Instagram usage and poorer self-esteem, body image and appearance anxiety (Sherlock & Wagstaff, 2019). The more the users engaged in photo-based activities like selfies and browsing pictures of peers, the worse their self-perceptions tended to be. These results suggest visual social media may undermine self-esteem and body image over time through social comparison processes.
Conclusions
Research points to potential risks of mental health issues arising from social media usage, especially when excessive, passive and involving continual social comparison. Adolescents and young adults appear most vulnerable given their developmental stage and continued brain maturation. Active engagement with friends online was less consistently linked to poorer mental health compared to passive browsing and obsession over others’ idealized portrayals. Future research could explore how platforms are changing over time as well as protective factors that buffer against social media’s potential negative impacts like resilience traits and quality of offline relationships. Overall, for vulnerable individuals, limiting passive, appearance-focused social media activities may support well-being. While social media enables connectivity, an overreliance on profile portrayals for self-worth risks undermining mental health.
References
Best, P., Manktelow, R., & Taylor, B. (2014). Online communication, social media and adolescent well-being: A systematic narrative review. Children and Youth Services Review, 41, 27-36. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2014.03.001
This study systematically reviewed 21 research articles published between January 2000 to October 2013 on the relationships between adolescent social media use, online communication and well-being indicators like depression, loneliness and self-esteem. The review found that while online communication enables social connectivity, excessive passive use may exacerbate loneliness through reducing quality of interactions and through social comparison processes on platforms. Overall, the review highlighted mixed impacts of social media depending on how adolescents engaged with it.
Frison, E., & Eggermont, S. (2018). The impact of daily stress on adolescents’ depressed mood: The role of social media use and self-esteem. Developmental Psychology, 55(2), 368-379. https://doi.org/10.1037/dev0000652
This study surveyed 251 Belgian high school students aged 14-19 about daily stressors, social media use, depressed mood and self-esteem. Structural equation modeling revealed passive Facebook behaviors like social comparison predicted greater depressed mood, more so than active behaviors. Gender moderated effects such that associations were stronger among girls. Findings indicate passive social media habits may reinforce depressive symptoms through lowered self-esteem.
Holland, G., & Tiggemann, M. (2016). A systematic review of the impact of the use of social networking sites on body image and disordered eating outcomes. Body Image, 17, 100-110. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2016.02.008
This systematic review evaluated 14 studies published between January 2010 to February 2016 on relationships between social networking site (SNS) use and outcomes like body image, eating disorder symptoms and risk factors. The meta-analysis found small but significant associations between greater SNS use and increased thin-ideal internalization, drive for thinness, body surveillance and body shame. Associations were especially apparent regarding photo-focused social media like Instagram. Relationships were relatively weak and further research is still needed.
Lee, E., Lee, J. A., Moon, J. H., & Sung, Y. (2018). Pictures speak louder than words: Motivations for using Instagram and the role of sociosexual orientation. Computers in Human Behavior, 87, 44-54. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2018.05.021
This study surveyed 291 American Instagram users about motivations for usage, time spent, feedback seeking and sociosexual orientation (willingness to engage in uncommitted sexual relationships). Findings revealed hedonic and self-presentation motivations correlated with feedback seeking, while enhancement of social interactions did not. Sociosexually unrestricted participants indicated stronger motivations related to appearance, attention and socio-sexual opportunities on the platform. Results indicate some users leveraged Instagram to meet sociosexual rather than relationship goals.
Livingston, J., Cianfrone, M., Korf-Uzan, K., & Coniglio, C. (2019). Social media usage patterns: A latent profile analysis of young adult social media usage. New Media & Society, https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444819874486
This study analyzed survey data from 1,479 U.S. adolescents aged 13-18 about social media engagement patterns. Latent profile analysis identified four subgroups of users with distinct patterns of usage including active engagers, passive observers, limited users, and multi-platform engagers. Compared to limited and multi-platform groups, passive observers had the highest odds of increases in depressive symptoms one year later. Findings suggest passive overconsumption of others’ lives on social media may fuel poorer mental health trajectories.
McLean, S. A., Paxton, S. J., Wertheim, E. H., & Masters, J. (2015). Photoshopping the selfie: Self photo editing and photo investment are associated with body dissatisfaction in adolescent girls.
Andrew Stroud