Researchers have uncovered the impact of social media use on college students’ mental health during the pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had an unprecedented impact on the mental health of college students, with symptoms such as anxiety and severe depression increasing significantly among 18-25 year olds compared to pre-pandemic levels.

A new study by researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, published in the journal Neurology, looks at social media as a possible contributing factor to the trend toward poor mental health. Health Economics.

It’s no secret that college students and adolescents are using social media more. Last May, the U.S. Surgeon General issued advisories on social media and youth mental health, noting that there is “substantial indication” that social media may “pose risks to harm the mental health and well-being of children and adolescents.”

But the question remains: Do more people with depression use social media more? Or is social media contributing to the rise in depression?

To answer this question, a research team led by economist Jane Cooley Fleuworth used unique longitudinal survey data from first-year students at a large public research university. The data was collected before and during the pandemic. This information allowed the researchers to compare social media use before and during the pandemic with other factors, such as social isolation, symptoms of anxiety and depression, and the amount of time students slept, exercised, and interacted with friends.

The results of the study were surprising: while increased social media use at the beginning of the pandemic did not significantly affect university students’ mental health, increased social media use 18 months into the pandemic, when universities had largely reopened and students had returned to campus, negatively affected students’ mental health. Students who increased their social media use by an hour 18 months into the pandemic were much more likely to suffer from depression and anxiety.

Why is this the case?

Fleuworth and her team found evidence that when students returned to their dorms, social media use took time away from other activities that are good for mental health, like exercise, and that social media also appears to increase peer stress. Both early and later in the pandemic, the effects of social media use were most severe among socially isolated college students.

“Students who were socially isolated weren’t using social media to stay connected,” Frewirth said. “They were using social media in different ways.”

Frewirth noted that resilience and social support can help protect students from the negative effects of social media.

“This isn’t about ‘social media is bad,'” she said. “Some students use social media in ways that aren’t harmful, and some students do. We wanted to highlight that difference.”

Research suggests that college campuses themselves can play a role in reducing isolation: Approximately one in five college students currently feel isolated on their college campuses, suggesting that it’s not just social media that’s at play.

“Universities can look at ways to build more connections through physical and social spaces, connections through clubs,” Frewirth said. “They can create peer support networks and help build resilience.”

Co-authors include Alex Xingbang Weng and Krista Perreira.