Social Media on Depression

Social media has become an important part of modern life, allowing people to interact, exchange information, and participate in various online activities. However, evidence reveals a complicated link between social media usage and mental health, particularly depression. On the one hand, social media platforms offer social interaction and support, which may positively impact mental health. Users may connect with others who share their interests, get support, and sustain connections over long distances. On the other side, excessive or problematic social media usage has been related to elevated levels of depression and other mental health disorders.

Multiple factors in adolescence can contribute to the development or worsening of depression, with lack of sleep being a major one. Sleep deprivation can impair cognitive performance, can increase stress, which can lead to depression symptoms in teenagers. Studies have found that “nighttime-specific social media use and emotional investment in social media were both more strongly related to poor sleep than overall social media use” (Woods et al., 2016). This study shows that social media use and emotional investment in social media, especially during the night are indicators of poor sleep than total social media usage. It implies that the time of social media use and the emotional investment in social media content may have a greater impact on sleep quality. The significant associations between nighttime-specific social media use, poor sleep quality, and anxiety and depression are in line with the idea that adolescents' late-night social media use results in later bedtimes and poorer sleep, which in turn contributes to anxiety and depression.” (Woods et al., 2016). Researchers claim that although the exact association between social media and depression is unclear, they still have found that poor sleep patterns can affect depression. Their research has shown a correlation between nighttime social media use and poor sleep quality, low self-esteem, and increased levels of depression.