Frequent Social Media Use Linked to Psychological Distress in Teens

Studies of the effects of social media use on teens' mental health have shown mixed results, and most have not followed teens over time. These researchers analyzed data from a longitudinal study in England that followed 12,866 teens from age 13 to 16 years with a series of surveys on social media use and psychological well-being.

“Very frequent” social media use (>3 times per day) was common and increased from age 13 to 16 (from 34% to 62% in boys, and 51% to 75% in girls). Compared with teens who used social media <1 time per week, girls with very frequent social media use were 31% more likely to have psychological distress at age 14 to 15 and boys were 67% more likely. Girls with persistently high social media use had lower well-being, lif…