Teenage social media use linked to less life-satisfaction for some

Lead researcher Dr Amy Orben said the link between social media use and mental wellbeing was very complex, with studies so far showing mixed results.

She added: “Changes within our bodies, such as brain development and puberty, and in our social circumstances appear to make us vulnerable at particular times of our lives.

“We can now focus on the periods of adolescence where we know we might be most at risk, and use this as a springboard to explore some really interesting questions.”

Researchers examined a large UK household survey of more than 72,000 people, who were asked to report how satisfied they were with life and how much time they spent talking to friends on social media on a typical day.

They were surveyed up to seven times between 2011 and 2018.

Young adolescents showed the most negative relationship between social media use and life satisfaction overall.

The self-reported survey found:

Scientists then focused on a smaller group of 17,409 10 to 21-year-olds to investigate whether present day social media use has an impact on future life satisfaction.

They looked at snapshot surveys of each person’s self-reported life-satisfaction and self-reported social media use over seven years.

The study suggests among girls aged 11 to 13, those who had increased their social media in the last 12 months use were less satisfied with life a year later.

Researchers say their work cannot predict which individuals are most at risk. And they say many other factors – such as the exact nature of social media content and the people they are interacting with online – will have an impact on teenage well-being too.