New research speaks to the dangers of social media.
Researchers found that adults who spent over 150 minutes per day on social media were more likely to report depression.
The study, which was published in npj Mental Health Research, analysed the relationship between social media use and self-reported depression among nearly 183,000 US adults over 11 years.
Researchers analysed 11 separate surveys conducted between 2014 and 2024 by adults aged 18 to 70. Study authors noted that the time period is significant as it encompasses the years when increased adoption of social media platforms, including Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok, skyrocketed.
According to the study, the link between social media use and self-reported depression became more noticeable at around 150 minutes of daily usage. They also estimated that each additional hour of daily use was associated with about 17% higher odds of self-reported depression.
“This study provides even more evidence that social media use beyond about two hours a day is linked to depression,” Jean Twenge, professor of psychology at San Diego State University, told Inc.
However, it was a more nuanced aspect of the study’s finding that stood out to Twenge, who is also the author of 10 Rules for Raising Kids in a High-Tech World.
“I thought their most striking finding was that social media use predicted depression more strongly than occupation, education level, ethnicity, or marital status,” she said. “This helps put the size of the effect in context, avoiding the mischaracterisation of social media effects as ‘small.’”
According to Statista, social media users across the world spent an average of 141 minutes on such platforms last year. The amount of time spent on social media appears to have stayed relatively consistent between 2018 and 2025.
While this particular study does not examine the relationship between social media usage and self-reported depression among teens, a 2023 Gallup survey found that teens spend an average of 4.8 hours on social media platforms – nearly double the roughly 150-minute level at which researchers found the association between social media use and self-reported depression becoming more pronounced.
While the study could not establish direct causation between social media usage and depression, it offers a broader look into the relationship both over time and across a broad range of ages.
What the authors did find, however, is that “when people give up or cut back on social media use for two weeks or more they end up happier and less depressed,” Twenge said.
The study may inform future research regarding the broader implications of social media usage and its links to other mental health conditions that “frequently co-occur with depression,” such as anxiety and even suicide, according to the authors.
Concerns about the relationship between social media and mental health harm have recently faced some social and legal scrutiny. Last week, Meta reached a landmark multistate settlement regarding allegations that its platform’s features were harmful to teens, among other legal issues. – Inc./Tribune News Service
Those suffering from problems can reach out to the Mental Health Psychosocial Support Service at 03-2935 9935 or 014-322 3392; Talian Kasih at 15999 or 019-261 5999 on WhatsApp; Jakim’s (Department of Islamic Development Malaysia) family, social and community care centre at 0111-959 8214 on WhatsApp; and Befrienders Kuala Lumpur at 03-7627 2929 or go to befrienders.org.my/centre-in-malaysia for a full list of numbers nationwide and operating hours, or email sam@befrienders.org.my.
