The amount of time Swedish teenagers spent on social media could not be linked to symptoms of depression or anxiety five years later, in a new study from Karolinska Institutet published in The Journal of Adolescent Health.

Social media is often singled out in public debate as a cause of poorer mental health in young people. While previous research has identified associations, it has been difficult to prove that high social media use actually leads to mental health problems.

In the new study, the researchers observed young people over time. Questionnaires were sent to a random sample of 500 Swedish schools, 343 of which chose to participate. In spring 2017, over 5,500 pupils aged 15–16 completed a questionnaire including questions about their social media habits and mental health. Five years later, just over 3,000 of these pupils were contacted again and asked to answer questions about symptoms of depression and anxiety.

The link disappeared in closer analyses

Teenagers who spent lots of time on social media reported slightly more mental health problems at the initial measurement. Five years later, the researchers found a weak association between spending more time on social media during adolescence and experiencing more mental health symptoms in young adulthood. However, when they adjusted for previous mental health issues and other background factors, such as gender, socioeconomic status, and physical activity, this link disappeared.

“Our results suggest that the time 15–16-year-olds spend on social media does not in itself appear to have a decisive impact on the risk of developing depression or anxiety in young adulthood,” says Martina Zetterqvist, PhD student at the Centre for Psychiatry Research, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, and lead author of the study.

The type of use needs to be investigated

The study is based on self-reported time spent on social media at a single point in time. Another important limitation is that it does not distinguish between different types of usage, such as active participation versus passive scrolling, which may have a different impact on mental health.

The researchers emphasise that future studies should investigate what young people actually do on social media rather than how long they spend on it to better understand the potential risks and opportunities. Furthermore, more research is needed to understand how social media use may displace activities that are important for well-being.

“Social media can serve both positive and negative functions. To make well-informed decisions on regulation, we need more nuanced knowledge,” says Geir Scott Brunborg, researcher at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden and the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, and project leader of the study.

A rapidly changing phenomenon

The researchers also point out that social media is a rapidly changing phenomenon, meaning that usage measured in 2017 does not necessarily reflect today’s digital environment. The study does not cover younger teenagers, and any effects in these age groups need to be studied further.

The study was conducted in collaboration with the Swedish Council for Information on Alcohol and Other Drugs (CAN) and the Norwegian Institute of Public Health. The research is funded by Forte (the Swedish Research Council for Health, Working Life and Welfare). The researchers declare no conflicts of interest.