Long-Term Social Media Use Linked to Depression, Self-Harm in Young People: Study
by Tyler Durden
Sunday, Apr 05, 2026 - 11:20 PM
Authored by Jerry Zhu via The Epoch Times,
An Australian-led study has found children and teenagers who spend more time on social media are more likely to experience depression, self-harm, substance use, and lower achievement later in life.
Published in JAMA Pediatrics, the systematic review examined data from 153 studies consisting of over 350,000 children and adolescents aged between 2 and 19 years, for up to two decades.
“The strongest pattern we saw was between social media use and later problematic media use, suggesting early patterns of engagement may become more entrenched and difficult to manage over time,” said Sam Teague, a senior research fellow at James Cook University.
The study focused on longitudinal research, which follows participants over time and offers stronger insight into how behaviours and outcomes develop.
Teague said previous research in the field often relied on snapshots collected at a single point in time, making it harder to determine whether social media use preceded negative outcomes.
However, she stressed the findings do not prove social media causes harm.
Instead, the results show consistent links between higher use and a range of developmental outcomes, including cognitive, social-emotional, physical health, and motor development.
https://www.zerohedge.com/technology/long-term-social-media-use-linked-depression-self-harm-young-people-study
