A Comparative Study on the Impact of Social Media on Mental Health

This study presents a comparative analysis investigating the differential impacts of social media usage on the mental health of adolescents (ages 13-17) and young adults (ages 18-25). As digital platforms become increasingly integrated into daily communication, understanding their psychological outcomes has become a critical public health objective. Utilizing a cross-sectional comparative research design (N = 300), this project evaluates key psychological dimensions- including anxiety, depression, sleep quality, self-esteem, and social comparison orientation- across passive vs. active consumption modes and gender demographics. Standardized psychometric assessment instruments, including the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), General Anxiety Disorder scale (GAD-7), Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and Iowa-Netherlands Comparison Orientation Measure (INCOM), were deployed alongside daily screen-time tracking metrics. Empirical analysis revealed significant differences between demographics and usage typologies: passive scrolling (e.g., algorithmic feed consumption, doomscrolling) was correlated with higher rates of depressive symptoms (r = .46, p < .001) and lower self-esteem compared to active social engagement. Furthermore, adolescent females exhibited elevated sensitivity to social comparison online relative to young adult males. These findings highlight the need for tailored digital literacy frameworks, platform-level safety features, and target-specific behavioral interventions.