The argument has raged back and forth in recent years on the presence and nature of a link between youth social media use and mental health outcomes.

In an eight-year longitudinal study recently conducted by Brigham Young University, one finding stood out: the sheer amount of time spent using social media did not correlate to an increase in anxiety or depression.

This adds to a growing body of research indicating that the context and content of social media use are more important than time spent, a shift also seen in the broader ‘screen time’ debate.

With this in mind, the researchers have these tips for healthier social media use:

  1. Be an active user
  2. Stop using social media at least an hour before falling asleep
  3. Be intentional (only use social media when you have a specific purpose in mind)

Read the full article by Brigham Young University at: Overall time on social media is not related to teen anxiety and depression

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