Interventions or measures intended to prevent the spread of diseases by creating physical distance between people and reducing the number of contact points

Social Distancing

Those who used social media during the COVID-19 pandemic to decrease loneliness and for entertainment were more likely to have poorer mental health outcomes. Those who used social media for personal contact and maintaining relationships had associations with better mental health outcomes. 

Relationship Between Social Media Use Motivation and Mental Health during COVID-19 Pandemic

This results in higher PTSD and depression.  

Direct relationship between childhood maltreatment and social media use during COVID-19.

Researchers believe that individuals were more likely to use social media during peak periods of the COVID-19 pandemic. During the pandemic, different motivation for connecting with others on social media could explain different mental health outcomes. 

University of Delaware

- mental health
- body image and eating disorders
- obesity
- behavioral influence
- health information and misinformation in the media


Common Themes in the Relationship Between Media and Health

Thygesen, H., Bonsaksen, T., Schoultz, M., Ruffolo, M., Leung, J., Price, D., &amp; Geirdal, A. Ø. (2022). Social media use and its associations with mental health 9 months after the COVID-19 outbreak: A cross-national study. Frontiers in Public Health, 9. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2021.752004 

Social Media Use and Its Associations With Mental Health 9 Months After the COVID-19 Outbreak: A Cross-National Study

There has been a lot of concern about the use of social media and its impact on mental health. The problem is that the studies that have come out have been mixed in results as well as been criticized for their validity. From the studies that were done, they found that the mere exposure of social media was not what attributed to mental health issue but rather the quality of interactions within social media. In one study, they found that the use for social media for negative social comparison lead to later depression. On the other hand. another study found that the positive well being of social media users is associated with the positive use of social media. An example of positive use is authentic self-presentation.

Impact of Social Media on Young Adult 

The mental picture one forms of one’s body as a whole, including its physical characteristics (body percept) and one’s attitudes toward these characteristics (body concept).

Body Image

More and more research into social media suggests that social media use has negative links with adolescent wellbeing. 

Impact of Social Media Use on Adolescents

Social Media Use in COVID-19 Pandemic

Watching numerous episodes of television shows in rapid succession with little to no breaks. 

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Related

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