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Use of Social Media When Feeling Depressed, Stressed, or Anxious
As part of the survey, we asked respondents directly how they experi-
ence social media when they are already feeling depressed, stressed,
or anxious. This was asked of all respondents regardless of their
PHQ-8 score. Overall, the majority of teen and young adult social
media users say they don't have a primarily negative or positive
response to using social media in these circumstances: 57% say that
using social media doesn't make them feel better or worse, and 65%
say it neither connects them to helpful support and advice nor sends
them "down a rabbit hole" (into a complex labyrinth of content from
which they find it hard to disengage). But more teens and young adults
say using social media when they are depressed, stressed or anxious
makes them feel better (27%) than the number who say it makes
them feel worse (15%); and one in five (20%) say it connects them
to helpful support and advice, compared to 15% who say it sends
them "down a rabbit hole" instead.
Social Media Use and Mental Well-Being
Social Media Use Among Teens and Young Adults
