Negative social media content has a greater impact on people struggling with mental health

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In recent years, numerous studies have focused on the impact of excessive screen time, particularly on social media, on mental health. The fact that the rise of smartphones and apps like Facebook, X, Instagram, and TikTok, has coincided with an exponential increase in mental health issues among young people and adults has intensified scrutiny of this relationship. However, recent research has called this link into question.

“Most studies have focused on the relationship between screen time and mental health, an area with mixed results,” says Christopher A. Kelly, a professor in the Department of Experimental Psychology at University College London.

Kelly co-authored a study recently published in Nature Human Behaviour, which suggests that the issue might not be the internet, screens, or social media per se, but rather the type of content consumed. According to the research, individuals with poorer mental health are more likely to engage with negative content online, which exacerbates their symptoms. To assess a website’s negativity, researchers analyzed the percentage of negative words it contained.

“Our study shows that people who feel worse before surfing the internet are more likely to search for negative content. This exposure to negative information worsens their bad mood, reinforcing a vicious circle in which emotional states and online behavior reinforce one other,” explains Kelly.

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