The impact of social media usage on lifestyle behaviors and health

Introduction

Despite the increasing popularity of social media, little research has been conducted on its impact on lifestyle behaviors and health outcomes among adults. This study aimed to investigate whether more frequent social media screen time use is associated with poorer lifestyle behaviors, overweight or obesity, and depressive symptoms. Additionally, this study examined the potential use of social media to positively influence health.

Methods

An anonymous one-time survey was conducted among English-speaking social media users aged 18–34 in Southern California. Self-reported height and weight were used to calculate body mass index (BMI), and the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) was used to estimate the severity of depressive symptoms. A cumulative risk score for lifestyle behaviors was also tallied. Three focus groups were held with a subset of the survey population to gain insights on social media, lifestyle behaviors, and health. A mixed method analysis was used to analyze the data.

Results

The survey data of 86 complete cases showed a positive correlation (r = 0.421; p < 0.001; 95% confidence interval [CI] [0.223, 0.585]) among PHQ-9 depression scores and negative correlation (r = −0.230; p = 0.033; 95% CI [−0.426, −0.12]) for BMI compared to actual social media screen time usage, respectively. However, social media screen time usage ≥3 h showed no association for either BMI, depressive symptoms, or cumulative risk score. Participants viewed social media as a “double-edged sword,” providing benefits such as “connection” and “information sharing,” but also having a negative impact on mental health (theme 1). Participants also believed public health needs to take a more proactive role in using social media, while social media platforms should manage the “authenticity” of content and modify their “algorithms” to improve health and lifestyle practices (theme 2).

Conclusions

This study suggested that social media may have some protective benefits related to becoming overweight or obese as indicated by the focus group participants, but further research is needed on the relationship between social media screen time usage and adult mental health. Social media platforms may have the potential to promote positive lifestyle behaviors and improve health if used properly.