Using social media: effects on well-being and mental health

Can using X, Facebook, Instagram, and other social media platforms be a genuine hazard to our well-being and mental health? Are the purported benefits of digital social media outweighed by the risks? 

What does the research say? 

**updated March 2025** 

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Sources:

*Brailovskaia, J., Margraf, J., Schillack, H., & Köllner, V. (2019). Comparing mental health of Facebook users and Facebook non-users in an inpatient sample in Germany. Journal of Affective Disorders, 259, 376-381.

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*Hardy, B. W., & Castonguay, J. (2018). The moderating role of age in the relationship between social media use and mental well-being: An analysis of the 2016 general social survey. Computers in Human Behavior, 85, 282-290.

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*Manuoğlu, E., & Uysal, A. (2020). Motivation for different Facebook activities and well-being: A daily experience sampling study. Psychology of Popular Media., 9(4), 456-464.

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*Pan, W., Mu, Z., Zhao, Z., & Tang, Z. (2023). Female users’ TikTok use and body image: Active versus passive use and social comparison processes. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 26(1), 3-10.

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*Shakya, H. B., & Christakis, N. A. (2017). Association of Facebook use with compromised well-being: A longitudinal study. American Journal of Epidemiology, 185(3), 203-211.

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*Sherlock, M., & Wagstaff, D. L. (2019). Exploring the relationship between frequency of Instagram use, exposure to idealized images, and psychological well-being in women. Psychology of Popular Media Culture., 8(4), 482-490.

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*Wright, E. J., White, K. M., & Obst, P. L. (2018). Facebook false self-presentation behaviors and negative mental health. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 21(1), 40-49.

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For additional research, please search —

Science Primary Literature

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Questions?  Please let me know —

engelk@grinnell.edu