Social media use increases depression in preteens, not vice versa

[PaulHoule]

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-05-social-media-depression-preteens-vice.html

[ViktorRay]

Makes sense.

Depression rates among youth were declining until they began sharply increasing around 2012 when smartphones (with their on-device social media apps) began to become popular.

[brendoelfrendo → ViktorRay]

That's some great correlation, but does not imply causation. The study helps firm up the causal link, but your "makes sense" implies that the causation is intuitive but I don't think it is.

[DyslexicAtheist]

Social media use increases depression. Period.

[chneu → DyslexicAtheist]

Yuppers. Social media makes us compare each other to the best versions of people online.

It really helps me to remember that everything online is a version or product of what that person/company wants you to see. It isn't real.

[brocklobsta → DyslexicAtheist]

Yeah agreed. One of the first things I do when I start feeling blue is to stop using social media and go camping.