Social media use linked to depressive symptoms in young people, study finds

Young people who spend at least two hours a day on social media are more likely to experience depressive symptoms and poorer wellbeing, a new study has found.

The decade-long study by the Murdoch Children's Research Institute (MCRI) followed almost 1,200 Melbourne school students aged from nine to 19 years old.

The report looked at the data collected between 2015 and 2021, when children were asked to self-report how much they used social media on a normal school day.

They were also asked to self-report feelings of depression, anxiety, self-harm and poorer wellbeing.

They were not asked what social media platforms they were using, and "high" usage was categorised as more than two hours per day.

Those factors have led some experts who spoke to the ABC to caution against using the findings as "definitive proof" of social media use being a key driver of poor mental health in young people.

The report's author, MCRI and Deakin University research fellow Nandi Vijayakumar, said there had been "surprisingly little" research into the varying effect of social media across age groups.

"Understanding these developmental differences is important because it can help us identify when prevention and intervention efforts are most likely to be effective."

'Small' social media risk seen in early adolescence

The study found heavier social media use between the ages of 12 to 18 years old was associated with "a small increased risk" for depressive symptoms one year later.

The effects were strongest in early adolescence, according to Dr Vijayakumar, who noted the strongest impact was seen in girls aged 12-13 years old.

"This is the period when young people first start using social media typically and learning how to navigate online interactions," she said.

"But it's also the period of rapid brain development and important social changes.

"Young people become increasingly sensitive to peer approval and social feedback and exclusion, while parts of the brain that are responsible for emotion regulation are still maturing."

Social media not 'one big amorphous blob'

Queensland University of Technology Digital Media Research Centre professor of digital communication, Daniel Angus, said there were many limitations to the research.

"The authors themselves repeatedly describe the associations as small and are careful not to make strong causal claims," he told the ABC.

"Self-reports of digital media use are particularly problematic because they are often inaccurate and shaped by social norms.

"We know the social stigma around particular media may lead young people to over- or under-report their own engagement, regardless of their mental health status."

Dr Angus noted that "time spent" on social media "tells us almost nothing about what adolescents are actually doing online".

The report did not ask the children about active versus passive engagement, or what kinds of content or experiences they were having online.

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MCRI researchers also acknowledged young people tended to under-report how much time they were spending online.

The Australian Media Uses Report, published earlier this year by QUT professor Amanda Lotz and Gabriela Lunardi, found people did not consider YouTube to be a form of social media.

"This is key to the point, when you study social media you need to carefully define what you're talking about," Dr Angus said.

"What we're starting to see is a recognition that it's not this big amorphous category that's the problem. Social media is not one thing.

"When you can get more granular data, it means you can start to drill into what kind of uses are the ones that we need to be more or less concerned about.

"It's the same as if you've got someone who's watching more than two hours of television a day. Is that four episodes of The Simpsons, is it two hours' worth of nature documentaries, is it something else?

"It matters, the context matters, and we know this."

It has been six months since the Australian government launched its social media ban.

Research at Western Sydney University last month showed most young people were still easily able to access their accounts.

In that study, teens who had lost access to social media platforms said they had also lost access to their main sources of news.