A new study from Curtin University finds minimal connection between heavy social media usage and mental health issues like depression and anxiety. This research provides fresh insights into how and why social media impacts users differently.
A fresh study from Curtin University offers a new perspective on the long-debated issue of social media’s impact on mental health. Instead of confirming the widely held belief that heavy social media use significantly affects mental health, the research found negligible to no direct relationship.
Leading the study, doctoral candidate Chloe Jones emphasized that the findings should not be interpreted as social media being harmless.
“For example, a connection to a supportive online community could be a lifeline for people living in isolation, but hours of scrolling Instagram influencers could be really unhelpful if you have body image concerns,” Jones added.
Unlike many studies that rely on self-reported data, the researchers at the Curtin School of Population Health collected mobile phone data from over 400 participants aged 17-53. This method allowed for an accurate measure of time spent on social media.
By comparing the usage data with the participants’ reported levels of depression, anxiety, stress and attentional control, the study revealed very weak associations between social media use and anxiety. No significant correlations were found with depression or stress. Interestingly, there was a slight positive association between social media usage and attentional control, suggesting that more social media interaction could slightly enhance the ability to maintain focus.
“If we are going to make well-informed decisions in this space, it needs to be based on quality data and our research demonstrates when you objectively measure time spent on social media, the effects are tiny or non-existent,” added Jones.
Supervising author Patrick Clarke, an associate professor at the Curtin School of Population Health, added that this study might pave the way for future research focusing on the nuances of social media interaction and its diverse effects on mental health.
“For example, while all of the associations were weak at best, the study found different platforms recorded different effects: TikTok usage saw a small positive association with attentional control, while Facebook usage saw a small association with distress among users,” Clarke said in the news release.
The researchers assessed whether age played a role in these findings.
“We did consider the age of users — we thought maybe TikTok users are just younger and that’s why they have better attentional control — but even when allowing for age that association was still there,” Clarke noted.
Clarke concluded that the study highlights the importance of understanding how social media is used rather than just the amount of time spent on these platforms.
“This study only considered the amount of time participants spent on social media, so what this research could be flagging is how long we spend on social media might matter less for mental health, as opposed to how we’re using it and engaging with it,” he said.
The study has been published in the journal Social Science & Medicine.