Social science research has repeatedly found connections between social media and mental health. Various studies have found correlations, meaning two things are related but one has not been proven to have definitely caused the other. However, new research reported in Psychology Today examines whether Facebook caused mental health problems in college students when the platform was rolled out between 2004- 2006. The study found that “when Facebook added a college campus to its early service, depression and anxiety increased among students,” and that “declines in mental health were worst among those who were already the most vulnerable.”

Facebook originally began at Harvard. Starting in 2004, the platform began to be rolled out to other colleges and universities. The study discovered that “after Facebook was introduced to a college campus, more students on that campus reported having depression and anxiety disorders,” and that their mental health problems affected their academic performance. “In particular, they were more likely to say they felt hopeless, exhausted, and ‘severely depressed.’” The effects were most pronounced on those already susceptible to mental illness. According to the article, “In other words, Facebook made college students already predisposed to depression or anxiety more likely to actually experience poor mental health.”

Social psychologist Jonathan Haidt has noted that Facebook started to cause more problems after three changes to the platform: “the introduction of the feed–a constantly updating timeline of posts—in 2006, the addition of the ‘Like’ button in 2009, and later the use of internal algorithms to show content that was predicted to drive engagement.” However, this study provides evidence to contradict that conclusion. It illustrates that Facebook was causing poor mental health from its inception, before these innovations were added to the platform.

The study also suggests why Facebook might be causing a decline in mental health. The study’s authors suggest social comparison – not merely bad actors pushing toxic content – may be to blame. Social media provides a window into your peers’ lives, “which can magnify opportunities for comparing your own life to theirs,” leaving many college students to feel themselves lacking. The study examined whether or not students lived on campus, and whether or not they were in a fraternity or sorority, and in each case where students felt themselves in the “out” group, there was evidence of worse mental health. Research suggests that despite all the other ills Facebook may have unleashed, the social comparison at its very core is intrinsically unhealthy.

Read the full article here.

Read Jonathan Haidt’s testimony about social media to the Senate Judiciary Committee in May 2022.

Danvers, Alexander, PhD. “Facebook Caused Poor Mental Health From the Beginning.” Psychology Today, 23 Oct 2022, https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/how-do-you-know/202210/facebook-caused-poor-mental-health-the-beginning.

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