Using social media platforms for long periods has little to no association with mental health indicators like depression, anxiety and stress, according to new research. However, another recently published study found that men risk developing unhealthy obsessions with physique if they place too much importance on likes and comments. Like so many things available to us in today’s fast-paced society, our use of social media has garnered its fair share of criticism.
Over the years, studies have concluded that excessive social media exposure keeps us , makes us , and might be changing our . Well, now researchers from Curtin University’s School of Population Health in Australia may have returned some of the shine to social media. In a new study, they found little to no relationship between heavy social media use and indicators of mental health such as depression, anxiety, and stress.
“If we are going to make well-informed decisions in this space, it needs to be based on quality data and our research demonstrates when you objectively measure time spent on social media, the effects are tiny or non-existent,” said PhD candidate and the lead author of the study Chloe Jones. Because different social networking sites offer diverse content and platform-specific features and interactions, the researchers separately examined the relationship between psychological distress and the most widely-used platforms: Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter/X, and TikTok. They also looked at so.