Re-examining Social Media Use and Mental Health: Comparing Social Media Use Across Platforms

Presenter (s)

Ariana Jacobs

Abstract or Description

During the last decade, social media use has grown rampantly, and continues to do so. For example, 80% of adults in the United States report using social media, with 71% of 18–29-year-olds using Instagram, and 65% using Snapchat on a regular basis (Auxier & Anderson, 2021).

Previous studies on the topic of social media use and mental health outcomes have yielded mixed results. For example, one study reported that the individuals who use social media the most show, (a) more depressive symptoms, (b) decreased life satisfaction, and (c) increased social comparisons (Boer et al., 2021). Alternatively, other studies have found the opposite. For example, Hjetland et al. (2019) reported that social media helped in facilitating social connectedness and a sense of belonging. Further, a previous iteration of this study found that social media use had a negative impact on individuals (Jacobs & Wohkittel, 2023). Results indicated that: (a) anxiety and depression were positively associated with social media use, and (b) higher anxiety scores were shown from those who used TikTok, VSCO, and Snapchat. One area of importance to me is how specific social media platform use contributes to a person's mental health, specifically their anxiety and depression levels.

The purpose of this study was to better understand differences in how social media use affects peoples’ anxiety and depression levels based on the social media platforms they use. Hypotheses for the study are; (1) there will be a positive correlation between social media use and an individual's anxiety and depression levels, and (2) there will be differences in an individual's anxiety and depression levels based on their specific social media platform use of: BeReal, Snapchat, Instagram, TikTok, and VSCO.

A Qualtrics survey was used to measure social media use, specific platform use, and behaviors associated with anxiety and depression levels. Specifically, items from the GAD-7, PHQ-9, and Social Networking Intensity Scale were included. Insight gained through this study will help individuals to further understand the pros and cons of social media use and to make healthy decisions when engaging with specific platforms. Additionally, the findings may help mental health professionals encourage and discourage specific social media uses to their patients.