More Than 2.5 Hours of Daily Social Media Use Linked to Self-Reported Depression

The analysis drew on the annual Media Behaviors and Influence Study, conducted by Prosper Insights & Analytics. Researchers examined 183,300 anonymized surveys from adults ages 18 to 70, using data from 11 years beginning in 2014.

The survey included 1,318 questions across a range of topics and 31 health measures. One of those measures was self-reported depression, meaning respondents reported their own depression status rather than receiving a diagnosis as part of this research.

The team used a machine-learning model, a type of computer-based analysis that looks for patterns across many pieces of information. According to the supplied report, the model was evaluated with tools intended to check its accuracy and calibration.

Across the years studied, researchers found an increasing relationship between time spent on social media and self-reported depression. A pattern appeared among people who reported using social media for at least 150 minutes a day. The report says this association appeared in each of the 11 years examined.

The researchers also reported that social media use was a more important predictor of self-reported depression than several other factors in their analysis, including time spent watching television, surfing the web or playing video games, as well as job and educational background. The supplied material does not give effect sizes, depression rates or a full ranking of the model’s predictors, so it cannot show how large those differences were.

This is a large, multi-year analysis, which makes the repeated pattern worth attention. It also separated social media from some other kinds of screen-based activity, rather than treating all screen time as one category.

Still, the findings do not establish cause and effect. People who report depression may use social media differently, or other factors not described in the supplied material may help explain both social media use and depression. The study also relies on survey responses, including self-reported time use and self-reported depression.

More research would be needed to learn whether the pattern holds in other groups and settings, why it appears, and whether changes in social media use lead to changes in mental health. The supplied report does not show that a particular amount of use is safe or harmful for every person.