STUDY: Social Media Use Harmful, Causes Depression, Loneliness

A University of Pennsylvania study claims to have found a “causal link” between “time spent on social media and increased depression and loneliness,” Science Daily reports.

The study examined the behaviors and moods of 143 participants, all undergraduates, and focused on three social media platforms, Snapchat, Instagram, and Facebook.

Science Daily quotes researcher Melissa G. Hunt, a clinical psychologist at Penn: “Here’s the bottom line. Using less social media than you normally would leads to significant decreases in both depression and loneliness. These effects are particularly pronounced for folks who were more depressed when they came into the study.”

One source of depression from social media use, Hunt suggests, has to do with comparing oneself to others.

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