The Effect of Social Media Use on Adolescent’ Mental Health

Abstract

Psychological research has begun to examine the potential positive and negative impact of social media on mental health and wellness (Bloomfield Neira & Barber, 2014; Valkenburg, Peter, & Schouten, 2006). However, very little of social media research has focused on an adolescent population, who are heavy users of social media (Curtis et al., 2014; Lenhardt, 2015). Additionally, this unique age group also comes with an increased risk of developing depression and low self-esteem (Thapar, et al., 2012). The present study aimed to further understand the potential impact of social media use on mental health and social functioning in an adolescent population. Additionally, this study used an experimental paradigm to determine any immediate impact of using social media on depression, self-esteem, and life satisfaction. Participants included 82 adolescent users of Facebook and/or Instagram, age 14-18, and 73 of their parents. Adolescent participants completed measures of their social media use, depression, self-esteem, life satisfaction, and a modified dictator game. Adolescent participants were randomly assigned to view their Facebook or Instagram page or read passages for 10 minutes. Parent participants completed demographic questionnaires and reported on their adolescent’s social activities and behavior. The results of this study revealed that there was a statistically significant increase in self-esteem following exposure to Facebook; however, this effect disappeared when controlling for gender. There were no other significant relationships between social media use and the other mental health variables in the present study. The potential significance and explanations of these findings are discussed.