More Social Media Use Linked to Anxiety and Suicidal Thoughts in Young Adults

Teenagers and young people who spend long hours on social media may face significantly higher mental-health burdens, according to new research from UTHealth Houston. In a study tracking self-reported use over multiple years, the researchers found dose–response patterns linking daily screen time to both anxiety symptoms and suicidal ideation.

The work, published in Pediatrics Open Science, was led by Jeff Temple, PhD, a psychologist and associate dean for clinical research at UTHealth Houston School of Behavioral Health Sciences. Temple’s team focused on emerging adults who were, on average, about 12 years old at the beginning of the study, allowing the analysis to account for developmental change rather than only capturing snapshots from older student groups.

Using survey data from 1,066 young adults collected annually from 2018 to 2025, the researchers categorized social media exposure by time spent per day. About 8.5% reported using social media for less than one hour daily, whereas more than a third reported 1–3 hours per day. Slightly over 17% reported six or more hours daily.

Participants’ mental health was measured with validated symptom scales: the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression scale and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale. These instruments operationalize risk through frequency of symptoms across the past week, such as poor appetite, sleep disruption, feeling on edge, and trouble relaxing.

Analyses indicated that those using social media for six or more hours per day were twice as likely to report anxiety symptoms and three times as likely to report suicidal ideation compared with those using social media less than one hour per day. The association between anxiety and social media was also more pronounced among girls.

Temple highlighted two potential mechanisms. Social comparison may intensify distress because curated content often emphasizes positive moments, potentially amplifying perceived inadequacy. Alternatively, heavy platform use may reduce time spent on offline prosocial activities that buffer stress.

The study also suggests bidirectionality: individuals already experiencing anxiety or depression may turn to social media as an escape, complicating causal interpretation. Even so, the findings align with families’ reports and underscore the importance of understanding where, when, and how social media affects mental health.

Importantly, the dataset predates and includes modern platforms such as TikTok, addressing limitations of earlier research concentrated on older social-media ecosystems.

The authors propose next steps involving both behavioral strategies for reducing problematic use and interventions to improve the “quality” of online environments to reduce harmful mental-health associations.