James Donaldson on Mental Health - Does Social Media Use Cause Depression?

Disrupted concentration Another thing disrupted by social media is the process of doing homework and other tasks that require concentration.

It’s become common for teenagers to engage with friends on social media at the same time they are studying.

They take pride in being able to multi-task, but evidence shows that it cuts down on learning and performance.

“Basically, multitasking isn’t possible,” Dr.

“What you end up doing is really just switching back and forth between two tasks rather quickly.

There is a cost to the brain.” And with poorer concentration and constant interruption, homework takes substantially longer than it should, cutting into free time and adding to stress.

Sleep deprivation and depression Some of the ways in which social media use impacts mood may be indirect.

For instance, one of the most common contributors to depression in teenagers is sleep deprivation , which can be caused, or exacerbated, by social media.

Research shows that 60 percent of adolescents are looking at their phones in the last hour before sleep, and that they get on average an hour less sleep than their peers who don’t use their phones before bed.

Blue light from electronic screens interferes with falling asleep ; on top of that, checking social media is not necessarily a relaxing or sleep-inducing activity.