Facebook use increases the risk of severe depression, an analysis from MIT Sloan , Bocconi University and Tel Aviv University shows. Researchers compared data on Facebook adoption in US colleges with 430,000 responses from the National Health Assessment. This is a semi-annual survey of mental health and well-being on campus. Since September 2006, anyone over the age of 13 has been able to have a Facebook account. According to the researchers, this approach has led to a seven percent increase in major depression and a 20 percent increase in anxiety disorders.
Social comparisons as a problem
A larger percentage of the most vulnerable students have treated their symptoms with psychotherapy or antidepressants. Overall, the negative effects of Facebook on mental health appear to be around 20 percent. This value corresponds to that which also occurs for people who have lost their jobs. Researchers believe that social comparison with peers is responsible. This effect seems to become stronger when users are in contact with Facebook for a longer period of time.
However, there has already been criticism that the team examined Facebook in its earliest form. Alexey Makarin of MIT Sloan responds that the effects of social comparison have certainly not diminished. Viewing the postings and their interpretation continue to be one of the fundamental principles of Facebook. According to Makarin, the use of cell phones has further increased this effect. Added to this is the low availability of experimental data in this area. Therefore, any research here makes sense.
Politics should intervene in a regulatory manner
According to the researchers, it should be taken into account that social media users do have advantages, such as contact with old friends. According to Makarin, operators and politicians should still work to reduce potentially negative consequences on psychological well-being. As of 2014, more than 4.5 billion people worldwide had a social media account. That corresponds to more than half of the world's population. The research results were published in the “American Economic Review”.
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