Social media is commonly branded as one of the key factors responsible for deteriorating mood and mental health, especially in adolescents – but is the science in agreement? Join us as we delve into the double-edged sword that is social media, and take a closer look at the magnitude of its well documented relationship with outcomes such as well-being, depression, loneliness, and body image. We discuss why social media can have such an effect – positive or negative – on our mental health, and uncover some of the factors that determine whether social media is good or bad for us.

📊 Key research studies we discussed:

• Lonely people use Facebook, rather than Facebook makes its users lonely: Does Facebook make you lonely? A meta analysis (Computers in Human Behaviour, 2014)
• The assumption that social media use has severe detrimental consequences is not well supported by existing evidence: Are social media ruining our lives? A review of meta-analytic evidence (Review of General Psychology, 2019)
• Higher levels of depression are associated with greater upward social comparisons: Is social network site usage related to depression? A meta-analysis of of facebook-depression relations (Journal of Affective Disorders, 2019)
• No clear evidence that increased social media use is responsible for decreased face-to-face interaction: Social media use, social displacement, and well-being (Current Opinion in Psychology, 2022)
• Time spent on social media is associated with reduced social connection and well-being, but only when used passively: Social media intensity, social connection, and user well-being: The moderating role of passive social media use (Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science, 2023)
• Taking a social media break results in less positive emotions for active users, and has no effect for passive users: Taking a break: The effect of taking a vacation from Facebook and Instagram on subjective well-being (PloS One, 2019)

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We thank the South West Doctoral Training Partnership for supporting this podcast and Rhannan Lacey for audiography, videography, and production.