The latest in a series of research looking into the relationship between social media use and depression suggests the two are linked.
The connection between social media and mental health has sparked a lot of discussions.On the one hand, social media allows users to stay connected to a bigger group and learn about topics that they are interested in. On the other hand, there was concern that young people would be harmed even before widespread misrepresentation on these platforms was established.
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The latest study builds on a year-long inquiry of the link between social media use and depression onset in about 5,400 people. At the outset, none of the participants reported even mild depression.
However, the study discovered that some respondents' depressive status had worsened in numerous surveys over the course of a year. The danger increased as a result of the use of three widely used social media platforms: Snapchat, Facebook, and TikTok.
It's uncertain which comes first: the chicken or the egg when it comes to whether social media causes sadness.
"One possible explanation for our findings is that persons at risk for depression, even if they aren't currently depressed, are more likely to utilize social media," he said. Another point to consider is that social media contributes to the increased risk."
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However, this study was not intended to distinguish between the two.
The study focused on social media users aged 18 and up to investigate adult susceptibility (average age: nearly 56). More than two-thirds of the participants were women, and more than three-quarters were white.
All of them filled out an initial survey about how they use social media sites including Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, TikTok, Twitter, Snapchat, and YouTube. Participants were also asked about their news consumption habits and their abilities to seek social help when unhappy or depressed.
At the time of the initial survey, none of the participants showed any signs of depression. However, nearly 9% of those who completed at least one similar follow-up exhibited a "significant" increase in depression risk scores. Users of TikTok or Snapchat aged 35 and above were shown to be at higher risk, but not younger users. With Facebook users, the opposite dynamic occurred: the likelihood of depression increased among those under 35, but not among those over 35.
Given the lack of clarity about precise cause and effect, the lesson, for now, is that researchers need to better understand the interaction between social media and mental health.
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