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Social-media use is common in young adults. Its relationship with mood symptoms is unclear, with conflicting study results. Investigators have now examined depressive symptoms in a nationally representative sample of 1787 young adults (age range, 19–32) who responded to a survey on depressive symptoms and use of a wide variety of social media.
Of the participants, 50% were female, 58% were white, and 56% were in a committed relationship; about two thirds had attended at least some college. Median time using social media was 61 minutes per day and 30 visits per week. Only 3% reported no social-media use.
On a four-item, five-point, validated scale, 26% of respondents reported depressive symptoms in the previous week at a level that has been li…