Study: Frequent Social Media Usage Linked To Sadness In Teens

By Ray Boyd

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- In 2015, we live in a social media driven world. Our news, entertainment and everyday interactions are all funneled through a group of sites that are built to connect us to other people, but at the same time keep us somewhat distant from people we claim to be our "friends."

Just a decade ago, not everyone had social media. We were just beginning the new era of amassing "friends," "likes," and "followers," in an attempt to gain some sort of social acceptance that was no longer fulfilled by the day-to-day interactions with the people we see face-to-face.

Now, almost everyone you meet, especially teenagers, are using some form of social media. A new study shows that frequent use of social media platforms may be linked to sadness among teenagers.

The study appeared in Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking and was conducted by Ottawa Public Health in Canada.

The study focused on 753 students in grades 7-12 with a median age just above 14-years-old.

According to the study, 25.2 percent of students said they used social media sites for more than two hours each day. 54.3 percent reported using such sites for two hours or less while 20.5 percent said they used social media infrequently or never.

The study found that students who said they felt as though they were experiencing an unmet need for mental health support were more likely to have two or more hours of usage.

According to the research, usage of over 2 hours was also linked to poor self-rating of mental health, an increase in psychological distress and high levels of suicidal thoughts.

The study suggests that more social media usage can be linked to poor mental health and asserts that there may be an opportunity for mental health professionals to have a place within social networking sites to assist youths.