As rates of depression and suicide in youth spike, experts are asking whether social media makes kids depressed — or do depressed kids simply spend more time on social media?
A new study provides answers. Researchers at UC San Francisco found that as preteens used more social media, their depressive symptoms increased. Yet the reverse wasn't true — a rise in depressive symptoms didn't predict a later increase in social media use.
On average, kids' social media use rose from seven to 73 minutes per day over the three years of the study and their depressive symptoms went up 35%. The study, which was supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), was published in JAMA Network Open .
The research team, led by Jason Nagata , MD, MSc, associate professor in UCSF's Department of Pediatrics, examined data following nearly 12,000 kids aged 9 to 10 years and then three years later at 12 to 13. The study is among the first to use within-person longitudinal data, meaning researchers could track changes over time in each child to accurately assess the link between social media and depression.
"There has been ongoing debate about whether social media contributes to depression or simply reflects underlying depressive symptoms," said Nagata. "These findings provide evidence that social media may be contributing to the development of depressive symptoms."
While it's unclear why social media increases depressive symptoms, prior research points to risks such as cyberbullying and disrupted sleep. In fact, Nagata and team just published a separate study in The Lancet Regional Health - Americas looking at the same cohort of participants, focusing instead on the effects of cyberbullying.
The study found kids aged 11 to 12 years who were cyberbullied were 2.62 times more likely to report suicidal ideation or a suicide attempt one year later. Additionally, those kids were also 2.31 times more likely to experiment with a substance (4.65 times more likely with marijuana, 3.37 with nicotine, and 1.92 with alcohol) in the following year.
Increasingly, the youngest generations find themselves facing a catch-22, with growing evidence that social media is associated with depressive symptoms and risky behavior, yet it is also a primary area for them to connect and communicate with friends.
To address this reality, the American Academy of Pediatrics suggests using the tools in its Family Media Plan to create healthier digital habits for both kids and parents.
"As a father of two young kids, I know that simply telling children to 'get off your phone' doesn't really work," said Nagata. "Parents can lead by example with open, nonjudgmental conversations about screen use. Setting screen-free times for the whole family, such as during meals or before bed, can help build healthier digital habits for everyone, including adults."
Authors: UCSF authors are Jason M. Nagata, M.D., Christopher D. Otmar, Ph.D., Joan Shim, M.P.H., Priyadharshini Balasubramanian, M.P.H., Chloe M. Cheng, M.D., Elizabeth J. Li, M.P.H., Abubakr A.A. Al-Shoaibi, Ph.D., and Iris Y. Shao, Ph.D. For all authors, see the paper.
Funding: This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health (K08HL159350 and R01MH135492) and the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation (2022056). For all funding, see the paper.
Disclosures: Fiona C. Baker, PhD, reported receiving grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) during the conduct of the study. No other disclosures were reported.
About UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals
UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals are among the nation's leading pediatric specialty hospitals, according to U.S. News & World Report 2024-25 rankings. Their expertise covers virtually all pediatric conditions, including cancer, heart disease, neurological disorders, pulmonology, diabetes and endocrinology, as well as the care of critically ill newborns. The two campuses in San Francisco and Oakland are known for basic and clinical research, and for translating research into interventions for treating and preventing pediatric disease. They are part of UCSF Health, whose adult hospital ranks among the top medical centers nationwide and serves as the teaching hospital for the University of California, San Francisco, a national leader in biomedical research and graduate-level health/sciences education. Visit https://www.ucsfhealth.org .
