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 Social Media Use Associated With Depression Among U.S. Young Adults 
 
 PITTSBURGH, March 22, 2016 – The more time young adults use social media, the more likely they are to be depressed, according to new research from the – The more time young adults use social media, the more likely they are to be depressed, according to new research from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine 
 
 The findings could guide clinical and public health interventions to tackle depression, forecast to become the leading cause of disability in high-income countries by 2030. The research, funded by the National Institutes of Health , is published online and scheduled for the April 1 issue of the journal Depression and Anxiety 
 
 This was the first large, nationally representative study to examine associations between use of a broad range of social media outlets and depression. Previous studies on the subject have yielded mixed results, been limited by small or localized samples, and focused primarily on one specific social media platform, rather than the broad range often used by young adults. 
 
 “Because social media has become such an integrated component of human interaction, it is important for clinicians interacting with young adults to recognize the balance to be struck in encouraging potential positive use, while redirecting from problematic use,” said senior author Brian A. Primack, M.D., Ph.D. , director of Pitt’s Center for Research on Media, Technology and Health. 
 
 In 2014, Dr. Primack and his colleagues sampled 1,787 U.S. adults ages 19 through 32, using questionnaires to determine social media use and an established depression assessment tool. 
 
 The questionnaires asked about the 11 most popular social media platforms at the time: Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Google Plus, Instagram, Snapchat, Reddit, Tumblr, Pinterest, Vine and LinkedIn. 
 
 On average the participants used social media a total of 61 minutes per day and visited various social media accounts 30 times per week. More than a quarter of the participants were classified as having “high” indicators of depression. 
 
 There were significant and linear associations between social media use and depression whether social media use was measured in terms of total time spent or frequency of visits. For example, compared with those who checked least frequently, participants who reported most frequently checking social media throughout the week had 2.7 times the likelihood of depression. Similarly, compared to peers who spent less time on social media, participants who spent the most total time on social media throughout the day had 1.7 times the risk of depression. The researchers controlled for other factors that may contribute to depression, including age, sex, race, ethnicity, relationship status, living situation, household income and education level. 
 
 Lead author Lui yi Lin, B.A., who will be graduating from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine this spring, emphasized that, because this was a cross-sectional study, it does not disentangle cause and effect. 
 
 “It may be that people who already are depressed are turning to social media to fill a void,” she said. 
 
 Conversely, Ms. Lin explains that exposure to social media also may cause depression, which could then in turn fuel more use of social media. For example: 
 
 • Exposure to highly idealized representations of peers on social media elicits feelings of envy and the distorted belief that others lead happier, more successful lives. 
 
 • Engaging in activities of little meaning on social media may give a feeling of “time wasted” that negatively influences mood. 
 
 • Social media use could be fueling “Internet addiction,” a proposed psychiatric condition closely associated with depression. 
 
 • Spending more time on social media may increase the risk of exposure to cyber-bullying or other similar negative interactions, which can cause feelings of depression. 
 
 In addition to encouraging clinicians to ask about social media use among people who are depressed, the findings could be used as a basis for public health interventions leveraging social media. Some social media platforms already have made forays into such preventative measures. For example, when a person searches the blog site Tumblr for tags indicative of a mental health crisis—such as “depressed,” “suicidal” or “hopeless”—they are redirected to a message that begins with “Everything OK?” and provided with links to resources. Similarly, a year ago Facebook tested a feature that allows friends to anonymously report worrisome posts. The posters would then receive pop-up messages voicing concern and encouraging them to speak with a friend or helpline. 
 
 “Our hope is that continued research will allow such efforts to be refined so that they better reach those in need,” said Dr. Primack, who also is assistant vice chancellor for health and society in Pitt’s Schools of the Health Sciences and professor of medicine. “All social media exposures are not the same. Future studies should examine whether there may be different risks for depression depending on whether the social media interactions people have tend to be more active vs. passive or whether they tend to be more confrontational vs. supportive. This would help us develop more fine-grained recommendations around social media use.” 
 
 Additional authors of the study were Jaime E. Sidani, Ph.D., Ariel Shensa, M.A., Ana Radovic, M.D., M.Sc., Elizabeth Miller, M.D., Ph.D., Jason B. Colditz, M.Ed., Beth Hoffman, B.Sc., and Leila M. Giles, B.S., all of Pitt. 

 Technically Incorrect offers a slightly twisted take on the tech that's taken over our lives. 
 
 Jochen Eckel/dpa/Corbis 
 
 How long do you spend on Facebook? 
 
 Do you log on often? 
 
 Or do you keep it on your screen all day, checking and checking? Do you occasionally post? 
 
 This may say something about you. Or it may not. It may also say something about Facebook and other social media. Or, again, it may not. 
 
 A new study from the University of Pittsburgh suggests those of us who are heavy users of social media are 2.7 times more likely to suffer from depression than those of who check less frequently. 
 
 Moreover, those in the study who spent the most time on social media were 1.7 times more likely to suffer from depression than those who spent least time. 
 
 The study looked at the use of Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Google Plus, Instagram, Snapchat, Reddit, Tumblr, Pinterest, Vine and LinkedIn. 
 
 It examined 1,787 adults between the ages of 19 and 32. Average social media use was 61 minutes per day and the average number of visits to a social media site was 30 a week. 
 
 It's easy to leap to the conclusion that Facebook makes you miserable. Indeed, 2013 research from the University of Michigan suggested that Facebook actively "undermines" well-being in young adults. 
 
 As far back as 2009, research from Stony Brook University concluded that too much Facebook makes teenage girls depressed. 
 
 However, in this case, lead researcher Lui yi Lin said even though the link between one factor and the other seems strong, the deep truth behind the link may be complex. 
 
 "It may be that people who already are depressed are turning to social media to fill a void," she said on the University's Web site. There's also the possibility, she added, that social media might cause depression, which then causes more social media use. 
 
 Dr. Brian Primack, director of Pitt's Center for Research on Media, Technology and Health insisted that not all social media interaction or usage is the same. 
 
 "Future studies should examine whether there may be different risks for depression depending on whether the social media interactions people have tend to be more active vs. passive or whether they tend to be more confrontational vs. supportive," he said. 
 
 Perhaps it's just like any other interaction with the world. Some work out for our psychological benefit, others don't. 
 
 There's also the issue of potential short-term benefits and potential long-term harm. 
 
 It's easy to preach moderation, but much harder to act on it yourself. Facebook and the like have partly become so powerful because everyone has chosen to participate and many have clearly become hooked. 
 
 It's enough to make you miserable.
– Repeatedly updating Facebook or scrolling through pictures of pugs on Instagram are examples of activities "significantly associated" with an increased risk of depression, suggests a new study published in Depression and Anxiety. Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh surveyed nearly 1,800 people between the ages of 19 and 32 about their use of 11 social media networks, including Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat, Tumblr, and Pinterest, CNET reports. They found the average time spent on social media was 61 minutes per day, with approximately 30 visits to social media sites per week. But people who checked social media most frequently were 2.7 times likelier to be depressed than those who checked least frequently. And those who spent the most time on social media were 1.7 times more likely to be depressed than those who spent the least. A press release gives a few reasons why social media could be linked with depression: envy of other people's "highly idealized representations" of their lives, feeling like you're wasting your life on social media, and increased risk of cyber-bullying. But it's not clear social media is causing users' depression. Researcher Lui yi Lin says it's possible depressed people are more likely to turn to social media to "fill a void." "A common thing that people do when they start to become depressed is to isolate more," one expert tells Mic. "Social media provides an opportunity to ... not [be] a full participant. It is a risky thing to do when feeling depressed." And "given the proliferation of SM, identifying the mechanisms and direction of this association is critical for informing interventions that address SM use and depression," the authors conclude. (Facebook purposefully messed with users' moods—and it's really sorry about it.)