Many scientists have done studies on the relationship between time spent on social media and mental health problems such as depression and anxiety, but one of them is very important and relevant because it has been done continuously for eight years and concluded that there is no real connection.
The study concluded that “increased time spent on social media was not associated with increased mental health issues across development when examined at the individual level”.
In other words, connecting with people through social online platforms and applications, in itself, is not harmful.
It’s a study “Does time spent using social media impact mental health?” that included several scientists led by Sarah M. Coyne and it’s cited in many scientific publications that can be found online.
Participants of this research included 500 adolescents who completed once-yearly questionnaires between the ages of 13 and 20. Results revealed that increased time spent on social media was not associated with increased mental health issues.
The study "Social Media Use and Mental Health among Young Adults" has the same conclusion. It can be found on the official website of the National Library of Medicine of the United States.
This study examined 467 young adults for their time spent using social media, the importance of social media in their lives, and their tendency to engage in “vaguebooking” (posting unclear but alarming sounding posts to get attention).
The focus of the study was on the potential negative impact of the use of social networks, and the conclusion is that such concerns can be rejected and that such concerns are not based on real grounds.
So, what to say? If you’re depressed, social media and networks are not the reason. Look for reasons, probably they are usual ones such as not working enough, not having a good organized everyday life, etc. Time not fulfilled is taking everyone into depression. Find your passion!
BIU (Bumpy Intelligence Unit)