The use of social media increases depression and loneliness

The use of social media increases depression and loneliness.

The link between the two has been discussed for years, but no causal link has ever been proven. For the first time, Penn research based on experimental data link the use of Facebook, Snapchat and Instagram to a loss of well-being. Psychologist Melissa G. Hunt published her findings in December. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology.

Few previous studies have attempted to show that the use of social media harms the well-being of users, and those who have either put participants in unrealistic situations or of limited scope, asking them to completely renounce Facebook and rely on self-assessment data, for example. , or perform the work in a lab in as little time as one hour.

"We undertook a much more thorough and rigorous study, which was also more environmentally sound," said Hunt, deputy director of clinical training at Penn's department of psychology.

To this end, the research team, which included former alumni Rachel Marx and Courtney Lipson and Jordyn Young, senior at Penn, Greenwich, Connecticut, designed their experiment to include the three most popular platforms. popular among a cohort of undergraduates, then automatically collect objective data on the usage followed by iPhones for active applications, not those that run the background.

Each of the 143 participants participated in an investigation to determine the mood and well-being at the beginning of the study, as well as shared images of their iPhone's battery screen to provide baseline data on social media a week. The participants were then randomly assigned to a control group, which allowed users to retain their typical social media behavior or to an experimental group limiting time spent on Facebook, Snapchat and Instagram to 10 minutes per platform and per day.

Over the next three weeks, participants shared screenshots of their iPhone's battery to provide researchers with weekly data on each individual. With this data in hand, Hunt then looked at seven outcome measures including fear of missing out, anxiety, depression, and loneliness.

"This is the end result," she says. "The use of less social media than usual results in a significant decrease in depression and loneliness. These effects are particularly pronounced in people who are more depressed when they enter the study. "

Hunt points out that the results do not suggest that young people aged 18 to 22 should completely stop using social media. In fact, she built the study as she did to stay away from what she sees as an unrealistic goal. However, the work suggests that limiting the screen time of these applications could not hurt.

"It's kind of ironic that reducing your use of social media makes you feel less alone," she says. But when it digs a little more, the results make sense. "Some of the existing literature on social media suggests that there is a huge amount of social comparisons. When you look at other people's lives, especially Instagram, it's easy to conclude that everyone's life is cooler or better than yours. "

Since this work only covered Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat, it is unclear whether it applies in general to other social media platforms. Hunt also hesitates to say that these results would be repeated for other age groups or in different contexts. These are questions she still hopes to answer, including in an upcoming study on the use of dating apps by students.

Despite these caveats, and although the study did not determine the optimal time that users should spend on these platforms or the best way to use them, Hunt says the findings offer two related conclusions that could not hurt social media users. .

On the one hand, reduce the possibilities of social comparison, she says. "When you're not busy letting yourself be carried away by clickbait social media, you're actually spending more time on activities that can help you feel better in your life." Second, she adds because these tools are there to stay, it is up to society to determine how to use them to limit the harmful effects. "In general, I would say, put down your phone and be with the people in your life."

Melissa G. Hunt is Associate Director of Clinical Education, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Arts and Science, Penn.

Rachel Marx and Courtney Lipson graduated from Penn in 2018.

Jordyn Young is a member of the 2019 class at Penn.