Keywords

social media, social network, mental health, depression, anxiety, longitudinal

Abstract

Many studies have found a link between time spent using social media and mental health issues, such as depression and anxiety. However, the existing research is plagued by cross-sectional research and lacks analytic techniques examining individual change over time. The current research involves an 8-year longitudinal study examining the association between time spent using social media and depression and anxiety at the intra-individual level. Participants included 500 adolescents who completed once-yearly questionnaires between the ages of 13 and 20. Results revealed that increased time spent on social media was not associated with increased mental health issues across development when examined at the individual level. Hopefully these results can move the field of research beyond its past focus on screen time.

Original Publication Citation

Sarah M. Coyne, Adam A. Rogers, Jessica D. Zurcher, Laura Stockdale, McCall Booth, Does time spent using social media impact mental health?: An eight year longitudinal study, Computers in Human Behavior, Volume 104, 2020, 106160.

Document Type

Peer-Reviewed Article

Publication Date

2019-10-10

Permanent URL

http://hdl.lib.byu.edu/1877/6934

Publisher

Computers in Human Behavior

Language

English

College

Family, Home, and Social Sciences

Department

Family Life

University Standing at Time of Publication

Full Professor

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