Social media and mental health among young people – is there a connection?

This project aims to determine whether problematic digital media use, defined as excessive or compulsive use, or exposure to harmful content, leads to mental health problems and suicide-related behaviors in young people.

Mental health among children and adolescents is one of today’s major public health challenges. Half of all mental disorders develop before the age of 18, and suicide is one of the leading causes of death among youth. At the same time, digital media has become an integral part of young people’s daily lives, raising concerns about its potential negative effects. Despite recommendations to limit screen time, it remains unclear whether problematic digital media use actually causes mental health problems or whether observed associations are explained by other factors.

To establish causality, the research team will use genetically informed methods. By studying twin pairs in which one twin uses digital media more problematically than the other, they can examine whether differences in mental health are truly due to media use. In addition, Mendelian randomization, a method that uses genetic variations randomly assigned at birth, will further strengthen causal inference.

The project is based on the world’s largest twin cohort, the Swedish Twin Registry, including data from around 40,000 young twins, combined with international replication cohorts involving over 22,000 children and adolescents. The researchers expect that this unique combination of data and methodology will generate new knowledge about the relationship between digital media use, mental health, and suicide risk in youth.

The results are anticipated to guide evidence-based recommendations for digital media use among young people and improve tools for early prevention of mental ill-health and suicide in the digital age.