Does social media use cause depression?

The extent to which social media has embedded itself into the daily lives of people cannot be understated.

A UK study has looked specifically at how teenagers are affected, and the differences between how they project themselves online and the unattainable images and fantasies with which they are bombarded.

Researchers at University College London studied almost 11,000 14-year-olds.

They say teenage girls are twice as likely to show depressive symptoms as boys.

But twice as many girls as boys use social media for more than three hours a day.

The study found that can lead to mood swings, a drop in confidence and poor sleeping habits.

So what’s the connection between social media use and depression?

Presenter

Sami Zeidan

Guests

Dennis Ougrin – Clinical senior lecturer at King’s College London

Amy Orben – Psychological researcher at the University of Oxford

Stella Branthonne Foster – Student