A new experimental study by the University of Pennsylvania has shown that social media use is linked to an increase in depression and anxiety. Social media has long been known to cause mental issues like depression, anxiety and loneliness, but little research has been done to measure this effect. This new study is the first to show a direct causal link between the two.
In this experiment conducted by psychologist Melissa G. Hunt, Associate Director of Clinical Training in Psychology, and her colleagues at UPenn, 143 students were randomly assigned to limit either Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat use to 10 minutes – per platform and per day – or to use social media as usual for three weeks.
After three weeks, the students were surveyed. The group of students who limited their social media use showed significant decreases in loneliness and depression over three weeks compared to the other group. Both groups showed significant reduction in anxiety and fear of missing out, suggesting a benefit of increased self-monitoring. Furthermore, those who had a higher level of depression at the start of the study showed a significant reduction in depression after limiting their social media use.
Based on the experiment, the researchers suggest limiting social media use to around 30 minutes per day, which may lead to an improvement in a person’s well-being.
The study shows that it’s not merely the idea that unhappy, depressed or anxious people happen to use social media more often, but rather that frequent social media use increases depression, anxiety and loneliness.
Hunt explains that “when you look at other people’s lives, particularly on Instagram, it’s easy to conclude that everyone else’s life is cooler or better than yours. When you’re not busy getting sucked into clickbait social media, you’re actually spending more time on things that are more likely to make you feel better about your life.”
“In general, I would say, put your phone down and be with the people in your life,” Hunt added.
