How has the increased use of social media affected ones depression and

anxiety?

Courtney Beeman

Senior Project Advisor: Christine Imming

Abstract:

Mental health issues, specifically, depression and anxiety have become a widespread
concern, affecting one in six American adults daily (NIMH: Mental Illness). Social media use
has also grown drastically within the past decade and with these two on the rise, it is important to
note the significant correlation between usage and mental health. In my paper I explain what
factors play into this correlation and how certain factors can be negative or positive impacts on
depression and/or anxiety. I will assess each factor and ultimately rule on if it has a positive or
negative impact and why. Factors such as age, time spent on social media, and type of use will
all have different repercussions on mental health and in assessing the impacts of various factors,
I looked at scientific articles as well as publications written by experts. I found that although
there are some positive aspects to social media, the way most people use the platforms are
causing more harm than good to their well-being. Negative use of social media causes increased
loneliness, elevated social comparison and in some cases debilitating mental health issues
whereas positive use results in reduced social comparison, less feelings of alienation, and in
some cases, fewer mental health issues. In this digital age it is crucial to see the negative effects
that social media has on one's mental health in order to move forward in using social media
positively.

12th Grade Humanities

Animas High School
5 March 2018
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 Part I: Introduction

Social media is taking over the lives of our generation and with it comes an unwanted rise

of depression and anxiety. “Nearly two-thirds of American adults (65%) use social networking

sites, up from 7% when Pew Research Center began systematically tracking social media usage

in 2005.” (Perrin, Social Media Usage: 2005-2015) Talking about the dramatic increase of social

media usage and issues it poses is important for people who struggle with depression and/or

anxiety and have a history of unhealthy social media use. We as a society will continue using

social media no matter what effects it has on our health. Therefore, we should find signs of social

media abuse and try to avoid them in order to alleviate existing mental illnesses.

The correlation of social media use and depression and anxiety can be analyzed by

several factors, both positive and negative. The increased use of social media can have differing

impacts on depression and anxiety depending on a number of factors: type of use, type of

content, use as a reinforcement, amount of sites one is active on, amount of use, age, gender, and

pre-existing mental health problems. However, despite limited positive effects, these factors

seem to increase anxiety and depression more than they lessen them.

Part II:Historical Context and Background

The amount of young adults experiencing anxiety or depression has doubled within the

past 30 years (for males: from 1 in 30 to 2 in 30, for females: from 1 in 10 to 2 in 10) (Increased

Levels of Anxiety and Depression Teenage Experience Changes Over Time). Within the past

decade, social media has also become increasingly popular and accessible. Social media is a

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form of electronic communication where one creates a profile on different platforms in order to

interact with other users. How one utilizes social media, along with other contributing factors,

determines whether their time on the site yields positive or negative impacts on mental health.

Positive or negative use can result in impacts on one's depression and/or anxiety. This increase in

depression and anxiety as well as the accessibility to social networking seems to generate mixed

feelings on the debate of social media or no social media. Within the past decade, social media

reached a long awaited rise in popularity and accessibility.

Social networking, a broader outlook on social media, has existed for a long time; in

1971, the first email was delivered (Whiteman). According to Honor Whiteman in the article,

Social Media: How Does it Affect Our Mental Health and Well-Being?​, “Social networking sites,

such as Facebook and Twitter, are now used by 1 in 4 people worldwide” (Whiteman). Social

networking has made it easier to keep in touch, preserve memories, assist with homework and

jobs, etc., making it a more progressive way to communicate. With the invention of smartphones

and tablets, it has become easier to check or update your social networks virtually anywhere at

anytime.

This ability to connect from all locations has created a sense of urgency and need to

constantly check or update social media, which can feed into social media addiction. Social

media addiction, by my own personal definition, would be defined as being active on more than

one social media site for more than 2-3 hours per day, and constantly updating or checking your

status, contributes greatly to mental health issues, specifically depression and anxiety.

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 Part III: Research and Analysis

Past studies have illustrated contradictory results on whether or not social media is

correlated to anxiety and depression. In the correlations I assessed, there are both negative and

positive effects of social media depending on pre-existing factors like age, gender, and mental

health issues. Some factors have mixed results when it comes down to their effects on depression

and anxiety.

Overall, the factors that negatively impact mental health include: social comparison,

passive use, continual usage of social media (despite having social media addiction and/or

pre-existing mental health problems), following numerous strangers, excessive time spent on

social media, and using multiple sites. The factors influencing mental health positively include:

face-to-face communication, supportive communication with people who have similar issues,

spending average time on social media, limiting the amount of sites one uses, and following less

strangers. The factors that had negative and positive impacts on mental health depend on one's

personal circumstances and the combining factors include: using social media as a

reinforcement, and type of use. Here are the assessments made for each factor, ultimately

concluding whether it affects depression and anxiety in a positive or negative way.

A major factor that affects anxiety and depression in social media use is pre-existing

mental health issues. If a user has pre-existing mental health issues and/or social media

addiction, then using social media will amplify these problems. Combining these, and other

major factors, can ultimately decide whether a user is impacted positively or negatively by social

media.

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 The type of content one engages in on social media has a major impact on mental health,

but there have been mixed results on if this factor has a positive or negative impact. If someone's

feed is filled with images or posts that indicate depressing themes, actions, or thoughts then it

can be difficult for someone to feel positive while using social media.​ ​Some social media sites

have tried to create solutions to the increasing problem by redirecting users whose search tags

include words that indicate issues to a page that provides links to resources or by allowing users

to anonymously report posts that they think are worrisome​ ​(Lin et al 329). Going on to the

Tumblr site and typing in a word such as “suicide” leads you to a page where it asks if

everythings is okay and gives suicide prevention resources as well as a lifeline account to follow

if users would like to see more inspirational posts on their feed. Although this is great to see sites

trying to give users resources, there is still a spot on the bottom of the page redirecting users to

their search results. This fault creates a maneuver for one to ignore the help provided and

increasing their feelings of depression by viewing the search results.

Two common types of social media use,which can have a dramatic effect on the impact

of mental health in the individual, are passive and active use. If someone only uses social media

to look at other people's updates and never posts their own, that classifies as passive use.

“...passive consumption of social media content- as opposed to active communication- has been

associated with decrease in bonding and bridging social capital and increase in loneliness” (Lin

et al 328). In the article, ​Association Between Social Media Use and Depression Among U.S.

Young Adults​, Lin and her colleagues give an explanation for why passive use leads to these

negative results: “...exposure to highly idealized representations of peers on social media elicits

feelings of envy and the distorted belief that others lead happier and/or more successful lives”

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(328). When looking at other peoples lives on a screen, everything appears perfect, but in reality,

nothing is as perfect as social media tends to portray.

The artificial life that users portray on screen effects how people view themselves. This

links back to the amount of strangers one follows. If you are looking at someones life on social

media and you have a relationship with them outside of Facebook or Instagram, chances are you

know their life isn't as perfect as they make it seem. But if you don't know them outside of social

media, it is harder to distinguish if their life is as perfect as it appears. By looking at photos of

friends or people that you know, it can reduce social comparison (Lup et al 251). Social

comparison causes us to analyze our lives and make assumptions on if our lives are on par with

others, which, depending on how many strangers one follows, can be highly negative.

“Instagram use has negative associations with well-being for those who follow many strangers,

but positive associations with well-being for those who follow few strangers.” (Lup et al 251).

One aspect of social media most users forget is the idea that people mainly post the highlights of

their lives, not their entire lives. In an article by Daily Mail, the author describes how many

people truly exaggerate their lives on social media, “A recent survey has found around two-thirds

of people on social media post images to their profiles to make their lives seem more

adventurous.” (Zolfagharifard). Rarely does one see users posting about the depressing or

uneventful things going on in their lives. Not only is following less strangers more beneficial for

social comparison, but also for ones well-being and physical health.

The impacts on physical health can range from respiratory infections induced by stress

caused from having a large social network (Davey, Ph.D.) to eating disorders brought on by

participating in social media challenges. Take the challenges that you see on Instagram or

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Facebook, ones trending for all of the wrong reasons. Such as the popular tags #thighgap or

#kyliejennerlipchallege. The thigh gap challenge, which was extremely popular in 2013,

involved participants starving themselves or watching how much they eat in order, “...to achieve

a gap between the thighs when they stand with their feet touching” (Mascarelli). The obsession

users had with creating this gap caused eating disorders (Mascarelli). The Kylie Jenner Lip

challenge was derived from people looking at celebrities, such as Kylie Jenner, with big lips and

trying to recreate the look by placing a shot glass on their lips and sucking in and creating a

vacuum. Participants lips grow temporarily but were also left with issues such as bruising, torn

skin, or in extreme cases, the shot glass breaking under the pressure of the suction, causing cuts

(Chai). Going to unbelievable extremes in order to achieve looks that were portrayed as "perfect"

by online communities. Despite the negative side effects they could have on one mentally or

physically, people still participated in harmful trends because of the social comparison brought

on by seeing others engage in the acts on their own feed.

Aside from the negative effects of social media, sites such as YouTube display the more

positive aspects of social networking. The popularity of YouTube is vastly growing, as it is the

second most-visited site behind Google with users viewing more than 1 billion hours of video

content - more than streaming services or television networks (Lanning 70,71). According to the

article, ​The Vlogging Cure​: “Thousands have used the platform to discuss depression, OCD,

trichotillomania, eating disorders, bipolar disorder, panic attacks, severe social anxiety, and

more” (Lanning 70). The platform is allowing creators to tell their stories as well as allowing

viewers to express their feelings on the content. These video confessionals consist of more

face-to-face communication, allowing users that are currently experiencing a crisis to connect

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with someone who possesses similar issues, with minimal effort (Lanning 70-71). Hearing from

someone suffering with similar issues, allows users to recognize that not everything on social

media has to be perfect, “To get a message from someone who says she’s a totally active person,

super outgoing with all her friends, and that she still struggles with depression, with no

understanding of how to explain it - I hope my video will show people they’re a lot like me,

[Martina Stawski] says” (Lanning 71). This support system community has allowed for people of

all ages and backgrounds to have an outlet as well as a way to heal from their issues.

“A vlogger’s ability to build community through the shared experience of mental illness

can have broad impact, says psychologist Denise Sloan of the U.S. Department of

Veteran Affairs, who cites social support, real or virtual, as one of the biggest factors in

the healing of veterans suffering from PTSD” (Lanning 73).

The idea that creators and viewers alike can use YouTube as an outlet for support gives hope for

a more positive change in social media and its impact on mental health.

One factor that has mixed results is the idea of using social media as personal

reinforcement. Nowadays people are using social media for all different reasons, simply to

connect with familiar faces, to browse photos and enjoyable posts, to express feelings, and for

most people: out of boredom or to distract from the imperfections of their own lives (Whiteman).

Personal reinforcement is the sensation that beckons users to use social media. This nack for

positive reinforcement can cause people to become more long-term users of social media. As

Julia Brailovskaia and Jürgen Margraf explain in the article, ​Comparing Facebook Users and

Facebook Non-Users: Relationship Between Personality Traits and Mental Health Variables -

An Exploratory Study​,

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 “...participants in studies showing a negative relationship between self-esteem and the use

of SNSs [Social Networking Sites] use were not long-term users of social platforms. In

contrast, studies that postulated a positive association between self-esteem and SNSs use

investigated participants with long-term membership” (Brailovskaia and Margraf).

Users with lower self-esteem tend to use social media more long-term versus people without

self-esteem issues. The habit of constantly updating social media to receive more comments or

likes as a reinforcement can eventually lead to social media addiction because it is hard for users

who have formed this habit, to quit. “...individuals who gained positive feedback about

themselves on Facebook showed stronger activity in the nucleus accumbens of the brain- a

region associated with "reward" processing. This stronger activity correlated with greater

Facebook use” (Whiteman). The vicious cycle of using social media as a reinforcement, starts

small. Posting more often, eventually turns into updating constantly until one starts to lose

followers and the amount of comments and likes being left on posts starts to decline. This causes

users to feel even more lonely, resulting in more social media use as the reinforcement.

The amount of time one spends on social media as well as how many sites they are active

on, are negative contributors to users mental health. In an article on Psychiatric News, Nick

Zagorski states: “...people who reported using the most platforms (seven to eleven) had more

than three times the risk of depression and anxiety (odds ratio of 3.08 and 3.27, respectively)

than people who used the least amount (zero to two platforms)” (Zagorski). This in turn allows

for more negative use across more sites.

Loneliness, negative use, and comparisons are more likely to happen in people who are

younger and more impressionable. “...between 1984 and 2005, the mean number of confidants a

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person had decreased from 2.94 to 2.08- a significant drop in what we would call 'real

friends'”(Davey, Ph.D.). Society no longer seeks long-term friendships, and this is mainly

because people are starting to search for friends through social media and valuing quantity of

companions rather than quality. This quantity over quality problem has, in turn, made people

more lonely. People from previous generations (Generation X and Baby Boomers), are more

aware that quality friendships are more important that the quantity of connections one has

(Davey, Ph.D.) - something younger generations have yet to realize. “...the majority of social

media users are under 30” (Whiteman). This is causing these impacts such as social comparison

and depression to become more increasingly popular with adolescence. Nevertheless, the number

of older users (65+) has risen from 35% in 2012 to 45% in 2015. These older users, although not

prone to the negative impacts, have a better understanding of life and reality versus younger

generations. The chances of someone 65 years or older following strangers is slimmer than an 18

year old or even a 30 year old because they tend to use social media for its intended purpose, for

instance, connecting with those they value versus strangers.

Not only is age a pre-existing factor that can greatly affect users depression or anxiety,

gender plays a key role as well. In the article, ​Is Life Today Bad for Teens?​, the author explains a

study where the effects weigh greatly on females, “...among 16 to 24 year old females,

depression and anxiety rose from 21 to 26 percent between 2007 and 2014. Other studies have

also shown a rise in problems among teen adults” (Wilson 22). The evidence suggests a positive

correlation between females, other factors such as education levels and age, and mental health

issues with the use of social media. Results from a study conducted by Liu yi Lin et al,

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concluded: “Female sex and lower education level were also both associated with being in the

‘high’ depression group” (325).

　Although most factors point towards an unhealthy use of social media as well as

negative repercussions on users mental health, there is still hope for more positive changes in the

ways people approach social networking. These factors lay out the list of dos and don’ts needed

to create that change.

Part IV: Discussion and Conclusion

The use of social media can impact one’s mental health, specifically depression and

anxiety, positively or negatively depending on a number of factors​. ​But in the sense of how use

and differing factors impact depression and anxiety, evidence would suggest that the effects

prove to sway towards the negative. One question we have to ask ourselves moving forward in

this digital era is, how do we plan on capitalizing on the benefits of social media while

eliminating the downsides? This is not an easily answerable question considering that people

who know the effects of social media inevitably stick to their bad habits, resulting in increased

harm. We can start by assessing major themes in social media use that tend to have negative

ramifications on mental health.

Major themes that I have found include: social comparison due to passive use and the

amount of strangers one follows, increase in depression or anxiety due to constant use despite

having pre-existing mental health problems, face-to-face communication and social support

through video-based sites, and the evolving issues of increased social networking throughout

time and amount of sites one uses resulting in social media addiction.

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 It is of importance to recognize when you are being negatively affected by social media,

especially if pre existing mental health issues have been diagnosed or run in the family. A simple

way to keep yourself in check is by monitoring the amount of strangers you follow. If you start

to see less people you personally know on your feed, it may be beneficial to step back and

unfollow these strangers. This can decrease the amount of social comparison one has while on

social media. Although we can't completely eliminate social comparison, decreasing the amount

of strangers one follows is a start.

There is no solid way to analyze which users have what pre-existing mental health issues,

what type of issues, and to what extent. Due to the lack of this, it is easy for someone diagnosed

with depression to create an Instagram page without realizing that sooner or later, their feed has

the possibility of impacting their depression. One way social media sites can prevent from

further harming users is by analyzing their content and addressing accounts and/or posts that

have been reported or indicate worrisome content.

To increase the positive effects face-to-face communication and social support have on

people, users must steer clear from image heavy sites and focus more on sites that focus on video

content. The ability to watch someone talk about their struggles, makes it easier for one to feel

that connection and authenticity, versus reading a caption on a perfectly filtered photo.

One theme we can target and reduce is social media addiction due to prolonged time on

social media and amount of sites one is on. Limiting the number of sites one is active on as well

as managing the time they are active for, can greatly decrease the issue of social media addiction.

Although we cannot completely limit the number of sites an individual is active on, if each

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person restrains themselves from using more than five sites, it could help curb social media

addiction.

In past research, results were mixed. Some studies found a correlation between mental

health issues and social media use and some didn't. There were studies that only looked at one

specific site but several factors. Some studies also looked at specific factors or sites in order to

create an argument for the positive impacts of social media. However, in this situation, the

negatives outweigh the positives. When looking at one specific factor it is easy to tell if the

impact is positive or negative, but when you start adding other factors, that is when the lines tend

to blur. Most social media users don't just show issues caused by one factor, they tend to express

multiple. With the major themes and factors given, more evidence points towards social media

having a negative impact on mental health overall.

In a time where social media is a big part of people’s lives, it is beneficial for people to

look at the analysis of each factor and apply that to their lives and how they use social media as

well as understanding potential long term and short term impacts on well-being. Managing to

see the evidence laid out from several different studies done on these factors and their

correlations to social media is crucial for society to continue using social media while preventing

or lessening the amount of negative impacts on users.

For future research, I believe it is beneficial for people to understand the impacts of each

factor and social media site on depression and anxiety and if they already have pre-existing

issues with social media and/or mental health, to be cautious. It is important to for future studies

to analyze the flaws and successes of the past studies and find ways to enhance those successes

while finding ways to improve the flaws. When going forward with new studies, it will be useful

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to focus on one factor and how its impacts are different across multiple sites by using more

detailed and specific measures when conducting research.

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 Works Cited

Comparing Facebook Users and Non-Users:

Brailovskaia, Julia, and Jürgen Margraf. “Comparing Facebook Users and Facebook Non-Users:
Relationship between Personality Traits and Mental Health Variables – An Exploratory
Study.” ​PLOS ONE​, Public Library of Science,
journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0166999.

Kylie Jenner Lip Challenge:

Chai, Carmen. “Doctors Warn Teens of Dangers from Trying Kylie Jenner Lip Challenge.”
Global News​, 24 Apr. 2015,
globalnews.ca/news/1959039/doctors-warn-teens-of-dangers-from-trying-kylie-jenner-lip
-challenge/.

Welcome to Fakebook:
Dailymail.com, Ellie Zolfagharifard For. “Welcome to Fakebook: More than 75% of People
Admit to Making Their Lives Seem More Exciting on Social Media.” ​Daily Mail Online​,
Associated Newspapers, 1 Feb. 2016,
www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3274749/Welcome-Fakebook-75-people-admit-
making-lives-exciting-social-media.html.

Social Media, Loneliness, and Anxiety in Young People:

Davey, Graham C. L. ​Social Media, Loneliness, and Anxiety in Young People​.
www.psychologytoday.com/blog/why-we-worry/201612/social-media-loneliness-and-an
xiety-in-young-people.

Increased Levels of Anxiety and Depression:

“Increased Levels of Anxiety and Depression as Teenage Experience Changes over Time.”
Increased Levels of Anxiety and Depression as Teenage Experience Changes over Time |
Nuffield Foundation​, 12 Mar. 2012,
www.nuffieldfoundation.org/news/increased-levels-anxiety-and-depression-teenage-expe
rience-changes-over-time.

The Vlogging Cure:

Lanning, Carly. “The Vlogging Cure.” ​Psychology Today​, May 2017, pp. 69–75.

Social Media Use and Depression Among U.S. Young Adults:

Lin, Liu Yi, et al. “Association Between Social Media Use And Depression Among U.s. Young

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 Adults.” ​Depression and Anxiety​, vol. 33, no. 4, 2016, pp. 323–331.,
doi:10.1002/da.22466.

Instagram, #Instasad?:
Lup, Katerina, et al. “Instagram #Instasad?: Exploring Associations Among Instagram Use,
Depressive Symptoms, Negative Social Comparison, and Strangers Followed.”
Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking​, vol. 18, no. 5, 2015, pp. 247–252.,
doi:10.1089/cyber.2014.0560.

Thigh Gap and Eating Disorders:

Mascarelli, Amanda. “Fueled by Social Media, Focusing on 'Thigh Gap' May Lure Young
Women into Eating Disorders.” ​The Washington Post​, WP Company, 30 June 2014,
www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/fueled-by-social-media-thigh-gap-focu
s-can-lure-young-women-to-eating-disorders/2014/06/30/bca303d2-db9a-11e3-bda1-9b4
6b2066796_story.html?utm_term=.3e0b59fc365d.

Mental Illness:
“Mental Illness.” ​National Institute of Mental Health​, U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services, Nov. 2017, www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/mental-illness.shtml.

Social Media Usage: 2005-2015:

Perrin, Andrew. “Social Media Usage: 2005-2015.” ​Pew Research Center: Internet, Science &
Tech​, 8 Oct. 2015,
www.pewinternet.org/2015/10/08/social-networking-usage-2005-2015/.

Social Media: How Does it Affect Our Mental Health and Well-Being?:
Whiteman, Honor. “Social Media: How Does It Affect Our Mental Health and Well-Being?”
Medical News Today​, MediLexicon International, 10 June 2015,
www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/275361.php.

Is Life Today Bad for Teens?:

Wilson, Claire. “Is Life Today Bad For Teens?: Headlines Claim Our Teenagers Are in the
Midst of a Mental Health Crisis. The Reality Is Far More Complex, Says Claire Wilson.”
New Scientist​, vol. 236, no. 1349, 4 Nov. 2017, pp. 22–23.

Using Many Social Media Platforms Linked With Depression, Anxiety Risk:
Zagorski, Nick. “Using Many Social Media Platforms Linked With Depression, Anxiety Risk.”
Psychiatric News​, 17 Jan. 2017,
www.bing.com/cr?IG=CB754A2178D74723BF531776417C1143&CID=1BC22977FD3

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