Associations Among Social Media Use and Anxiety, Depression, and Eating Disorder Symptoms in Children and Young Adolescents

Social media refers broadly to web and mobile platforms that allow individuals to connect with others within virtual networks (e.g., Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, LinkedIn) and to engage with digital content in both active ways (e.g., posting, messaging, sharing) and passive ways (e.g., scrolling, viewing, or following others’ content) (Ahmed et al., 2019). Social media now plays a central role in daily life, shaping how individuals communicate, share information, and form social connections. Although social media can foster connection and access to information, research with adults and older adolescents has linked prolonged or excessive use to negative psychological outcomes, including increased symptoms of depression, anxiety, and body dissatisfaction (O’Riley et al., 2018; Harriger et al., 2023). More recent evidence also suggests that specific social media platforms, such as Tiktok, may expose users to algorithmic content that reinforces eating disorder (ED) related themes and behaviors (Griffiths et al., 2024). Excessive social media use has also been associated with loneliness, fear of missing out, and lower life satisfaction (Valenburg, 2022). However, considerably less is known about whether similar patterns emerge in younger populations. Over the past decade, researchers have raised particular concern about the potential negative effects of social media on children and adolescents. Youth aged 14–16 now spend an average of 3.5 hours per day on social media (Miech et al., 2021). A longitudinal study of U.S. adolescents aged 12–15 found that those who spent more than three hours per day on social media were twice as likely to experience poor mental health outcomes, including symptoms of depression and anxiety, even after adjusting for baseline mental health (Riehm et al., 2019). Similarly, a natural experiment leveraging the staggered introduction of a new social media platform across U.S. colleges found that the platform’s rollout was associated with increases in depression (9%) and anxiety (12%) among college-aged emerging adults (Braghieri et al., 2022). Although these effects were observed in emerging adults, they underscore potential risks for younger populations. Children and early adolescents may be particularly vulnerable to the effects of social media on mental health given their stage of social and neural development. Early adolescence is a sensitive developmental period when social and emotional regulation skills are still forming, and exposure to social comparison and appearance-focused content may have particularly strong effects on self-concept and well-being (Popat & Tarrant, 2022). During this period, youth become increasingly aware of peer evaluation and appearance norms, making them more susceptible to internalizing appearance ideals encountered online, which may in turn contribute to anxiety, depressive symptoms, and disordered eating behaviors (Lavell et al., 2024). Despite the growing body of literature concerning the impact of social media on mental health among adolescents and emerging adults, less is known about how time spent on social media relates to mental health in younger children. Further, while prior studies have focused on depression and anxiety symptoms, fewer have examined associations with eating disorder (ED) pathology. Given findings among adolescents, further research is needed to clarify whether social media use in younger populations is similarly linked to symptoms of depression, anxiety, and ED pathology. Social media platforms often emphasize appearance ideals and promote comparison-based content, which may contribute to body dissatisfaction and disordered eating behaviors (Holland & Tiggemann, 2016). Although such mechanisms have been documented in adolescent and adult samples, it remains unclear whether similar associations emerge during middle childhood, when appearance awareness and peer comparison processes begin to intensify. In the present study, we will explore the associations between time spent on social media and symptoms of depression, anxiety, and EDs among a sample spanning early childhood to early adolescence. Identifying patterns of association in younger samples can clarify whether social media exposure represents an early risk factor for later emotional and behavioral difficulties. The present study represents a step forward in understanding how social media engagement may relate to emerging symptoms of anxiety, depression, and ED pathology in children and early adolescents.