Scientists: Snapchat, Facebook and TikTok can lead to depression

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New study studies the relationship between being in social networks and depression, suggests that these two aspects are related to each other. The relationship between social media and mental health is still a controversial area.

The new study is a follow-up to a year-long review. It studied how 5,400 adults used social networks and whether they developed depression. Initially, no one reported even mild depression.

But over the course of several surveys conducted over a 12-month period, some respondents' depression worsened. The risk increased with the use of three popular social networks: Snapchat, Facebook and TikTok. However, scientists cannot say with certainty whether social media leads to depression.

“One possible explanation for our results is that people who are at risk for depression, even if they are not currently in depression, more likely to use social networks. Another is that social networks actually contribute to increased risk,” says Dr. Roy Perlis, lead author of the study.