Hopelab & Well Being Trust 79
Our exploration of young people's social media use indicates that
the relationship between social media and depression is complex.
And again, this survey is intended as a beginning – an attempt to
gather descriptive data about the many ways young people use social
media, and to uncover how these accounts vary based on individuals'
responses to a measure of depressive symptoms. We hope that the data
provide inspiration for further study and exploration of how teens and
young adults curate and regulate their social media use. How might
we create resources to support them?
The survey also offers evidence that the youth-focused digital health
field is ripe with potential for positive change. We hope the insights
provided here will help guide the many players in this field.
• For public health advocates, the message is that investment
in digital health resources for youth is money and time well
spent – 87% of young people have looked online for health
information and nearly all find it at least somewhat useful,
meaning they are likely to be return customers.
• Patient advocates can be heartened to know that four in ten
teens and young adults have gone online to look for people
with similar health concerns, and we now know more about
their strategies than ever before: reading blogs, following hash
tags and specific people on social media, and joining online
discussion forums. These findings suggest that it is possible that
the "long tail" of the internet could connect people and unlock
well-being for those who would otherwise remain isolated.
• Health care providers should note young people's deep engage-
ment with online health resources, be respectful of their choices,
and understand that if they want to reach young health consum-
ers directly, they have a massive opportunity to do so using
digital tools. And they should get ready for telehealth: 20%
of teens and young adults have already connected with clini-
cians via text, app, online messaging, or video chat.
• LGBTQ advocates need our full support as they address the
massive desire for digital tools related to mental health and
mental well-being among gay and lesbian teens and young
adults. No other demographic in this sample came close to
this one when it comes to both high need and huge opportunity.
Conclusion
