One Social Media Habit Linked to Anxiety and Depression in Teens

A new study from Norway found that comparing yourself to others on social media is strongly linked to mental health problems in teens. Researchers studied more than 4,000 teenagers with an average age of 14. They looked at five different social media behaviors and how each one affected mental health. The study was published in the journal Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health on October 17.

The five behaviors studied were: comparing yourself to others, experiencing hostility from others, being hostile toward others, passing time, and seeking support online. Teens answered questions about their social media habits and completed a mental health survey by phone. The researchers then looked for connections between specific behaviors and mental health symptoms.

Social comparison was the strongest predictor of mental health problems in the study. It was linked to 20 to 26 percent of the differences in symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, and major depressive disorder. It also explained 6 to 9 percent of differences in ADHD and oppositional defiant disorder symptoms.

Being treated badly by others online — called hostility from others — was the second most harmful behavior. It explained 3 to 6 percent of the differences in symptoms across all five mental health conditions. On the other hand, just passing time on social media was not linked to any of the mental health problems in this study.

Peter Etchells, a psychology professor at Bath Spa University, said the study is useful because it goes beyond just measuring screen time. He noted that how and why someone uses social media matters more than how many hours they spend on it. He said that if someone feels worse after using a platform, that is a sign something needs to change.

The study does have an important limitation, though. Because data was only collected once, researchers cannot tell which came first — the mental health struggles or the social media habits. It is possible that teens who already feel anxious or sad are more likely to compare themselves to others online.

Scientists say more long-term research is needed to find a clear answer. They want to see results from many different studies that all point in the same direction. Until then, teens and parents are encouraged to pay attention to how social media use makes them feel.