Social Media and Mental Health: The Surprising Findings
Social networks are often criticized for their negative impact on young people’s mental health – yet, some may be less harmful than others. In fact, a new study reports that one platform stands out from the crowd for its positive impact on wellbeing.
The Study
Researchers from the University of Amsterdam studied 479 young people over 100 days to analyze how the use of social networks – TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, WhatsApp, and YouTube – could affect three key dimensions of teenagers’ mental health: wellbeing, self-esteem, and friendships.
Snapchat: The Least Harmful Social App
And in their findings, Snapchat came out on top: Evan Spiegel’s social network appears to be the least harmful social app for teenagers. When spending time on this platform, 71.5% of teenagers felt a positive impact on their friendships, 41.4% reported positive effects on their wellbeing, and 23.7% on their self-esteem.
A Different Story for TikTok and YouTube
While Snapchat stands out in particular, WhatsApp also scores well since, according to the report, the platform appears to strengthen friendly relationships without having either negative or positive effects. "WhatsApp impacted friendship closeness positively for more than three-quarters of adolescents, while a similarly large group experienced no effect on wellbeing and self-esteem," the researchers highlighted.
TikTok and YouTube: The Most Damaging Platforms
Meanwhile, TikTok and YouTube appear to be the most damaging to the mental health of young users. "TikTok and YouTube users experienced more negative unity, with over two-thirds experiencing predominantly or exclusively negative effects on the three dimensions of mental health," the researchers noted.
Conclusion
Far from lending weight to clichés about platforms only being a source of negative effects, the study shows that not all social networks are necessarily harmful to users’ mental health and friendships.
Frequently Asked Questions
What was the duration of the study?
The study was conducted over 100 days.
How many participants were included in the study?
479 young people participated in the study.
Which social networks were studied?
The study analyzed the use of TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, WhatsApp, and YouTube.
What were the three key dimensions of mental health studied?
The study analyzed the impact of social media use on wellbeing, self-esteem, and friendships.