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Social media use among young adults is nearly universal worldwide. For instance, 95 per cent of teenagers (13–17) in the United States are on social platforms, with about a third online ‘almost constantly’ (Vogels et al., 2022; Rideout et al., 2022); while 96 per cent of 15-year-olds in the European Union use social media daily (Bertoni et al., 2025). Although this connectivity provides clear benefits – ranging from social support to avenues of self-expression – extensive international research consistently links high levels of social media usage with anxiety, low self-esteem and emotional instability among youth (Office of the Surgeon General, 2023; Sampogna et al., 2023).

Existing studies suggest that higher social media usage generally correlates with greater psychological distress Shannon et al., 2022; Mougharbel et al., 2023). For example, a systematic review recently confirmed clear links between prolonged social media use and poorer mental health outcomes, including increased anxiety, depression and sleep disturbances, and greater internalising and externalising problems, particularly among adolescents and young adults (Khalaf et al., 2023). However, precise thresholds indicating increased risks remain poorly defined. Is there a critical tipping point – that is, a specific duration of social media use after which negative effects significantly intensify?

My recent research at Oxford Brookes University explored this gap by investigating the experiences of 70 young adults aged 18–27 based in Oxford, UK. Drawing on social comparison theory (Festinger, 1954) and self-esteem theory (Coopersmith, 1967), the study examined whether there is a nonlinear relationship between daily social media usage and psychological wellbeing. Participants completed anonymous surveys detailing their daily social media habits, mental health indicators, and experiences such as cyberbullying and fear of missing out (FOMO).

Findings revealed a clearly evident nonlinear ‘threshold effect’: participants spending between three to five hours per day on social media experienced markedly higher levels of post-use anxiety (76.7 per cent), low self-esteem (82.3 per cent) and recent anxiety symptoms (64.6 per cent). This aligns closely with earlier work by Primack and colleagues (2017), suggesting negative psychological outcomes intensify significantly after social media usage surpasses a certain daily duration threshold. Figure 1 illustrates these threshold effects.

Figure 1: Threshold effect: Percentage of young adults reporting negative mental health indicators by daily social media usage duration (N=70)

Source: Author’s own analysis

‘Limiting daily social media use to under three hours can significantly reduce psychological risks. Promoting active and purposeful use, rather than passive browsing, can further support wellbeing.’

Importantly, the type of social media platform also matters. Frequent users of visually oriented platforms like Instagram reported significantly higher anxiety levels (85 per cent) compared to those favoring text-based or professional platforms (55 per cent). Visually comparative platforms trigger more intense anxiety and body-image struggles due to exposure to curated portrayals of others’ lives (figure 2). Based on these findings, limiting daily social media use to under three hours can significantly reduce psychological risks. Promoting active and purposeful use, rather than passive browsing, can further support wellbeing.

Figure 2: Young adults’ social media platform preferences, usage purposes and cyberbullying experiences (N=70)

Source: Author’s own analysis

This research contributes directly to ongoing international discussions about youth mental health in digital environments (Nagata et al., 2025; Shannon et al., 2022), emphasising the need for targeted digital health strategies that respect young adults’ complex social and psychological needs. Similar patterns of mental health deterioration associated with excessive social media use have also been observed internationally, including in countries such as Australia (Centre for Digital Wellbeing, 2021), China (Zhou et al., 2023) and India (Saleem & Jan, 2024), suggesting that this threshold effect may have broad global relevance. Future research should explore larger and more diverse populations, employ mixed methods, and include qualitative perspectives to deepen understanding.

By acknowledging this threshold effect, educators, policymakers and young adults themselves can make informed choices – transforming digital spaces into genuinely supportive environments rather than sources of psychological vulnerability.

References

Bertoni, E., Centeno, C., & Cachia, R. (2025). Social media usage and adolescents’ mental health in the EU. European Commission.

Centre for Digital Wellbeing. (2021). The Impacts of Social Media in Australia.

Coopersmith, S. (1967). The antecedents of self-esteem. W. H. Freeman.

Festinger, L. (1954). A theory of social comparison processes. Human Relations, 7(2), 117–140.

Khalaf, A. M., Alubied, A. A., Khalaf, A. M., & Rifaey, A. A. (2023). The impact of social media on the mental health of adolescents and young adults: A systematic review. Cureus, 15(8), e42990.

Mougharbel, F., Chaput, J.-P., Sampasa-Kanyinga, H., Hamilton, H. A., Colman, I., Leatherdale, S. T., & Goldfield, G. S. (2023). Heavy social media use and psychological distress among adolescents: The moderating role of sex, age, and parental support. Frontiers in Public Health, 11, 1190390.

Nagata, J. M., Otmar, C. D., Shim, J., … & Baker, F. C. (2025). Social media use and depressive symptoms during early adolescence. JAMA Network Open, 8(5), e2511704.

Office of the Surgeon General (2023). Social media and youth mental health.

Primack, B. A., Shensa, A., Sidani, J. E., Whaite, E. O., Lin, L. Y., Rosen, D., Colditz, J. B. Radovic, A., & Mille, E. (2017). Social media use and perceived social isolation among young adults in the U.S. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 53(1), 1–8.

Rideout, V., Peebles, A., Mann, S., & Robb, M. B. (2022). Common Sense census: Media use by tweens and teens, 2021. Common Sense.

Saleem, S. M. & Jan, S. S. (2024). A cross-sectional study of mental health effects of excessive screen time and social media use among Indian adolescents and young adults. Journal of Nature and Science of Medicine, 7(3), 210–217.

Sampogna, G., Di Vincenzo, M., Luciano, M., … & Fiorillo, A. (2023). The effect of social media and infodemic on mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic: Results from the COMET multicentric trial. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 14, 1226414.

Shannon, H., Bush, K., Villeneuve, P. J., Hellemans, K. G., & Guimond, S. (2022). Problematic social media use in adolescents and young adults: Systematic review and meta-analysis. JMIR Mental Health, 9(4), e33450.

Vogels, E. A., Gelles-Watnick, R., & Massarat, N. (2022). Teens, social media and technology 2022. Pew Research Center. Ìý

Zhou, W., Yan, Z., Yang, Z., & Hussain, Z. (2023). Problematic social media use and mental health risks among first-year Chinese undergraduates: A three-wave longitudinal study. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 14.