06/11/2025

Social Media Use is Fueling Depression in Tweens

A new study shares how researchers came to this conclusion

As American adolescents experience both declining mental health and rising exposure to social media, parents and researchers alike have tried to better understand the link between the two: Does social media fuel mental health struggles? Or are struggling kids more likely to turn to social media?

A new study indicates a possible answer. When researchers at the University of California at San Francisco examined social media use and depressive symptoms among tweens over a three-year period, they found that an increase in social media use predicted a future rise in symptoms of depression — but not the other way around.

The study, published in May in the journal JAMA Network Open, followed nearly 12,000 preteens over three years starting at age 9 to 10. The lead author of the study, Jason Nagata, an associate professor of pediatrics at the University of California at San Francisco, spoke to The Washington Post about his team’s findings and observations.

Please select this link to read the complete article from The Washington Post.