This research contrasts with recent claims that social media use by teens can cause depression, claims based on a study that examines the relationship between average use of social media and the welfare of the average measured in one point in time.
Social Media Does Not Cause Depression
Starting in 2017, Heffer and co-author, conducted a survey of grade 6, 7, and 8 in Ontario, Canada, once a year for two years. Researchers also conduct annual survey participants graduate, started in first year University over the span of 6 years.
To measure symptoms of depression, researchers using the Centre for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale for young adults and age-appropriate version of the same scale for adolescents. All participants answered two questions about the average daily hours spent on social media-one measure of use on weekdays and more measured use of weekends. Participants also answered questions about the time their other monitors such as watching TV and offline activities such as doing homework and working out.
Heffer and his colleagues analyzed the data separately for each age group and gender.
The results showed that the use of social media does not produce symptoms of depression later in life in teenagers or college students graduate.
"This finding contrasts with the idea that people who use a lot of social media become more depressed from time to time. Instead, the teenage girls who feel sad can turn to social media to try and make themselves feel better, "said Heffer.
Overall, research indicates that fears surrounding the use of social media and its impact on mental health may be too early.
"When parents read media headlines like ' Facebook Depression, ' there is an inherent assumption that social media use leads to depression. Policy makers also were recently debating ways to overcome the effects of the use of social media on mental health, "said Heffer.
Evaluate whether worries about the impact of social media deserves or does not require prospective longitudinal study that allows researchers to examine whether the use of social media to predict the symptoms of depression (not vice versa), while control of other potential influences. As noted by Heffer and his colleague, individual differences in personality, motivation, and the current welfare tend to play an important role in the relationship between media use and welfare in the future.
"There may be a wide group of people that are using social media for different reasons, " Heffer explains. "For example, there may be a group of people who use social media to create social comparison or change it when they feel sad, while other groups of people may use it for more positive reasons, such as keeping contact with friends. "
Examine the role played by these differences will help clarify the ways in which social media to interact with the mental health, with the same implications for parents, policy makers, and other health professionals.
Opiate effects against decision-making
A bad decision making is often associated with drug addicts and pathological gambler, but what about the people who excessively use social media? New research from Michigan State University shows the relationship between the use of social media and risky decision-making.
These findings are published in the Journal of Behavioral Addictions-Research-first to examine the relationship between the use of social media and a risky decision making ability.