UC Davis

Social media use has become an integral part of adolescents’ daily lives and social routines. Along with the rise of social media use, there has also been a concurrent increase in mental health concerns among adolescent populations. Recent research and mainstream media have been concerned with the rise in self-diagnosing and the medicalization of normative behavior on social media sites, which has been of concern for adolescents particularly when the content comes from social media influencers. The current set of studies sought to examine the nature of user-generated content on social media about mental health topics and to investigate the effects of exposure to such content among at-risk adolescent populations who struggle with self-regulation and problematic social media use. Specifically, in Study 1 we conducted a content analysis of YouTube videos from social media influencers on four main mental health concerns among adolescents: attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), anxiety, depression, and eating disorders. In Study and Study 3, we conducted national surveys among adolescents ages 14 to 16 to assess their self-regulation skills, problematic social media use, frequency of social media use, exposure to mental health content, and mental health outcomes (i.e., anxiety, depression, and self-reported mental health). To conclude, in Study 4 we experimentally tested through an online survey experiment the immediate effects of exposure to a video on mental health produced by a social media influencer on facets of adolescent mental health. The results of our four studies revealed that adolescents with poor self-regulation and those who have higher rates of problematic social media use are more likely to experience poor mental health outcomes, particularly when they spend more time on social media and follow mental health content. Mental health content on social media tends to be produced by white females, and adolescents who identified as female demonstrated poorer mental health on all metrics (clinical measures and self-report) across all three samples. Exposure to mental health content was related to higher self-report of mental health conditions, revealing that this content can be particularly suggestive. Overall, the findings in these four studies highlight the need for an increased review process of content on social media sites, as exposure to mental health content from non-professional sources can have serious detrimental effects on adolescents behavior, attitudes, and beliefs. We also identify at-risk groups for mental health struggles that can allow for interventions in a timely and effective manner.