Anyone who regularly uses social media will have had the experience of feeling envious of the fun their friends all seem to be having. This might especially be the case if you’re are sitting at home on a cold wet evening, feeling bored while everyone else is partying or having a glamorous holidays in the sun.
But is it possible that these feelings could be the start of something worse? Could using social media actually make you depressed? A recent U.S.-based study, sponsored by the National Institute for Mental Health, identified a “strong and significant association between social media use and depression in a … sample of U.S. young adults.” The study found that levels of depression increased with total amount of time spent using social media and number of visits to social media sites per week.
Previous studies have painted a more mixed picture. It would seem that the relationship between social media and depression and well-being is complex and likely to be influenced by a number of factors.
