When discussing whether or not social media is potentially damaging to mental health, it is vital that we recognize that the answer is not a simple yes or no answer. There are variables that are very important to analyze. One of the most influential variables is how frequently a person uses social media. In the article, "Social Media Use and Mental Health among Young Adults, "Past research has indicated that mere exposure is a poor indicator of mental health." There is an immense difference between using social media once a week, once a day, five times a day, or every twenty minutes. Using social media in moderation, say once every few days, will decrease the chances of it affecting your mental health. Using social media an excessive amount, like more than a few times a day, could lead to a person becoming addicted to and dependent on it. It is never beneficial to become addicted to or dependent on anything. Developing an addiction to something will only create negative effects. The saying that moderation is key, is really important when it comes to social media and mental health. Overuse of social media can also be damaging since social media presents so much information that can sometimes be too much to process properly. It can be easy to be feel overwhelmed, most times without even realizing it. On top of these reasons, it is important to remember that using social media is a giant distraction from the real world. Spending an excessive amount on social media means you are spending less time in the real world, interacting with real people. There have been studies that show there is a link between frequent social media use and loneliness and depression. One of these studies was done at the University of Pennsylvania as a group of students participating in the study were told to limit their use of social media platforms to ten minutes a day and they, "showed significant reductions in loneliness and depression over three weeks compared to the control group" (Hunt M.G., 2018) . or the sake of your health, it is best to limit the use of social media since it will help you avoid becoming dependent on it and it will help you stay connected to the real world.