A study from the University of Cincinnati and Northwestern University has revealed that using social media for more than 2.5 hours a day can significantly increase the risk of depression. The research is based on data collected from 183,000 participants over eleven years.
The study indicates that after 150 minutes of daily use of applications like Instagram, TikTok, or Facebook, the likelihood of reporting depressive symptoms increases by 17% for each additional hour. This publication coincides with Meta’s announcement of an agreement of nearly $18 billion to resolve lawsuits related to teenage addiction to its platforms.
Attorneys from 29 states have alleged that Facebook and Instagram, under the direction of Mark Zuckerberg, were designed to generate addiction, especially among young people, while the company supposedly concealed the dangers associated with their use. In addition, it has been claimed that Meta collected data from minors without their consent.
The study, published in npj Mental Health Research, utilized data from the Media Behavior and Influence Study (MBIS), which is conducted annually in January with at least 15,000 adults, aiming to represent the characteristics of the U.S. population. Machine learning models and traditional statistical methods were applied, considering variables such as age, sex, education, and income, in addition to the time spent on television, video games, the internet, and email.
The effect of social media was particularly notable among young people, where it emerged as a relevant factor for predicting depression, alongside others such as income, age, and gender. Since 2019, the use of these platforms has become the most influential factor in the model. The prevalence of self-reported depression in women aged 18 to 25 was between 24% and 40%, compared to 15% to 25% in men of the same age. The authors suggest that this relationship may have intensified with the advent of new platforms and an increase in their use since 2020.
Despite the findings, the authors of the study caution that a direct causal relationship between social media use and depression cannot be established. The data were obtained through cross-sectional surveys, raising the possibility that individuals with depressive symptoms tend to use these platforms more. Depression was determined through self-reports, without validated clinical assessment, and types of use, such as passive consumption or active interaction, were not differentiated.
These limitations suggest that further research is needed to better explore the mechanisms that could explain the association. Among the proposed theories are social comparison, disrupted sleep, and certain patterns of online interaction.
The authors highlight the importance of distinguishing between different forms of digital activity and suggest that the threshold of 150 minutes represents a statistical tipping point, although it should not be interpreted as a universal clinical guideline. The next step will be to conduct longitudinal and experimental studies to determine whether reducing time on social media has an effect on decreasing clinical depression and what specific characteristics of platform use might explain the observed relationship.
Source: www.infobae.com
