University of Cambridge and NHS Digital Study Reveals Key Differences in Social Media Use Among Adolescents with Mental Health Conditions

University of Cambridge and NHS Digital Study Reveals Key Differences in Social Media Use Among Adolescents with Mental Health Conditions

(IN BRIEF) A new study from the University of Cambridge has revealed that adolescents with mental health conditions, particularly those with anxiety and depression, use social media differently than their peers. The research shows that these young people spend more time on social media and experience greater dissatisfaction with their online social lives. They also tend to compare themselves to others more frequently and report mood changes based on social media feedback. The study, which involved 3,340 adolescents from the UK, is one of the first to use clinical-level assessments to explore these issues. The findings highlight the complex relationship between social media use and adolescent mental health, suggesting a need for further research.

(PRESS RELEASE) CAMBRIDGE, 6-May-2025 — /EuropaWire/ — A groundbreaking study conducted by the University of Cambridge reveals significant differences in how adolescents with mental health conditions use social media compared to their peers without such conditions. The study, one of the first of its kind to incorporate clinical-level diagnoses, explores how social media impacts young people’s mood, self-perception, and time spent online.

The research, which surveyed 3,340 UK adolescents aged between 11 and 19 years, found that those with mental health conditions, particularly internalising disorders such as anxiety and depression, spent more time on social media than those without any mental health conditions, averaging around 50 minutes more per day. Furthermore, these young people reported feeling less satisfied with their online social lives, frequently comparing themselves to others and experiencing mood changes due to social media feedback, such as likes and comments. These findings suggest that social media use may be both a symptom and a contributing factor to the mental health challenges faced by adolescents.

The study also highlights how adolescents with internalising conditions, including depression, anxiety, and PTSD, are particularly vulnerable to social comparison, with nearly half (48%) of those with internalising conditions reporting this behavior, compared to just 24% of their peers without a mental health condition. Additionally, young people with these conditions were more likely to report feelings of inadequacy and dissatisfaction with their online friend count, which could exacerbate feelings of rejection and low self-esteem.

The research also notes that adolescents with mental health conditions struggled with self-control over time spent on social media, with a quarter of them reporting that social media feedback influenced their mood. This contrasts with adolescents with externalising conditions, like ADHD, who did not exhibit these same patterns.

The study is significant because it is one of the first to use clinical-level mental health assessments, offering more insight into how social media use correlates with the mental health of adolescents. However, the study does not establish a direct causal link, with researchers cautioning that more research is needed to better understand how these factors interact.

The study, published in Nature Human Behaviour, suggests that there is an urgent need for more focused research on the role of social media in adolescent mental health, with the goal of developing strategies that mitigate its negative effects.

Notes:

*Study participants were asked to rate their social media use on a typical school day and a typical weekend or holiday day. This was given as a nine-point scale, ranging from less than 30 minutes to over seven hours. Responses from adolescents with any mental health condition approached on average ‘three to four hours’, compared to adolescents without a condition, who averaged between ‘one to two hours’ and ‘two to three hours’.

The category of all mental health conditions in the study includes several conditions that are classed as neither internalising or externalising, such as sleep disorders and psychosis. However, the numbers of adolescents suffering from these are comparatively small.

**The survey was conducted as part of NHS Digital’s Mental Health of Children and Young People Survey (MHCYP) and is nationally representative of this age group in the UK. The researchers only used data from those who provided answers on social media use (50% male, 50% female).

*** Previous studies have mainly used self-reported questionnaires (e.g. a depression severity questionnaire) to capture mental health symptoms and conditions in participants.

**** The researchers point out that, as responses on social media use were self-reported, those with mental health conditions may be perceiving they spend more time on social media rather than actually doing so. They say that further research with objective data is required to provide definitive answers.

***** For data on social media use, study participants were asked to rate the extent to which they agree with a series of statements on a five-point Likert scale. The statements ranged from ‘I compare myself to others on social media’ to ‘I am happy with the number of friends I have on social media’.

Researchers divided responses into ‘disagree’ (responses 1 to 3) and ‘agree’ (responses 4 and 5) and then calculated the proportion of adolescents agreeing separately for each diagnostic group to aid with public communication of the findings.

Media Contact:

Fred Lewsey
External Affairs and Communications
fred.lewsey@admin.cam.ac.uk

SOURCE: University of Cambridge