Heavy Social Media Utilization Leads to Depression

By: Connie Li

Photo source: Ashley Adcox

Utilization of social media such as Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat has increased dramatically in recent years, especially among

adolescents and young adults [3]

Photo source: Magicatwork

A recent Ontario study indicates that 80% of young people use social media on a daily basis, with almost 50% using it for over 2

hours per day [7]

Photo source: Mister C.G.

Photo source: Mister C.G.

What is the impact of social media usage on the lives of young people?

Heavy social media users are young

adults are 300%more likely to be depressed than

occasional users [7]

Facebook use worsens “how

people feel moment to moment and how

satisfied they are with their lives” [7]

Photo source: Ryan Melaugh

Key Question: Why is the heavy usage of social media associated with depression?

1. Negatively impacts physical health

2. Passive use is detrimental

to mental health

3. Increases their exposure

to cyber-bullying

1. Negatively Impacts Physical Health

One study of adolescents indicates that social media usage can seriously

disturb the quality and quantity of sleep. This study shows that many

have difficultly logging-off and going to sleep. Others may deliberately

wake up to check social media during the night. [7]

Photo source: Jagrap

1. Negatively Impacts Physical Health

One study of adolescents indicates that social media usage can seriously

disturb the quality and quantity of sleep. This study shows that many

have difficultly logging-off and going to sleep. Others may deliberately

wake up to check social media during the night. [1]

Likewise, heavy users of social media often remain slumped on a chair or in their bed, shut up in their room, and glued to the screen. This means that they are skipping meals or staying sedentary for excessive periods

of time [6].

Photo source: Julochka

2. Passive Use Is Bad For Mental Health

Passive use refers to the practice of quietly observing other people’s social media profiles and pictures – sometimes known as “Facebook stalking” [3].

Photo source: Coffeebeanworks

One study shows that this can lead to envy and

resentment, while another indicates that passive use provokes and intensifies a

negative emotional experience known as “FOMO” the fear of missing out. This can lower self-esteem and well-being. [7]

Photo source: Woxandapix

Study on 753 Ottawa students between grade 7-12…

…uncovered an association between teenagers who are heavy users of social media and poor mental health.

The study found that teens who are on social media for more than 2 hours a day report poor self-rated mental health, psychological distress, suicidal ideation or

unmet need for mental health support [6]

3. Increases Exposure To Cyber-

bulling

University of Alberta study revealed that

there were distinctive associations between

exposure to cyberbullying and

increased likelihood of depression [2].

Photo source: Reiseblogger

The studies covered a variety of social sites, but Facebook was the most common – between 89% and 97.5% of the teens who used social media had a Facebook account [2].

23% of teens reported being targeted

15% of teens reported bullying someone online themselves.

Facebook knows that its social network feed tremendously affects the moods of its users. For example, Facebook’s data scientists conducted a controversial human behavior experiment where 689,003 users were manipulated by having all positive posts or negatives posts removed

to see if it would affect the moods of the users [1]

Master OSM 2011

The Result: Users that saw more negative

content shared more depressing content themselves [1].

Photo source: Mister C.G.

What can be done by social media companies to help?

“Social media could be part of the problem or part of the

solution or both”

- Elizabeth Payne [3]

A number of social media companies have been proactive at helping users that appear to be depressed. For example, if a user

searches for tags on Tumblr such as “depressed” or “suicidal” then the blog platform will show helpful resources and ask if everything is OK [1].

Photo source: Corrado

Photo source: Mister C.G.

What should you do if heavy social media is causing depression?

It is highly recommended to work with a mental health

professional. Furthermore, you should limit your social media usage every day in favor of

other activities.

Photo Source: Tiyowprasetyo

Works Cited:

[1] Chowdhry, A. (2016, April 30). Research Links Heavy Facebook and Social Media Usage To Depression. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/amitchowdhry/2016/04/30/study-links-heavy-facebook-and-social-media-usage-to-depression/2/#3596d9e87786

[2] Durlofsky, P. (2016). Can Too Much Social Media Cause Depression? Retrieved from http://www.mainlinetoday.com/Blogs/Thinking-Forward/February-2014/Can-Too-Much-Social-Media-Cause-Depression/

[3] Matrix, S. (2017). Module 1, Lecture 1, Part 1, Media Convergence

[4] Matrix, S. (2017). Module 1, Lecture 2, Part 2, Media Use Research

[5] Pappas, S. (2015, June 22). Cyberbullying on Social Media Linked to Teen Depression. Retrieved from http://www.livescience.com/51294-cyberbullying-social-media-teen-depression.html

[6] Payne, E. (2015, August 08). Student links poor teen mental health to social media use. Retrieved from http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/study-links-poor-teen-mental-health-to-social-media-use

[7] Whitley, Robert. (2016, September 14). Here’s Why Social Media Harms Your Teen’s Mental Health. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/robertwhitley/social-media-mental-health_b_11893462.html