Symptoms of Depression Reinforced by Social Media Algorithms, Study Warns

Individuals suffering from depression may be more susceptible to social media engagement features that encourage users to repeatedly return to platforms and post additional content.

A new study indicates that social media “likes” may be particularly rewarding for individuals with depression, offering new insight into how platform algorithms and engagement-driven features may worsen mental health symptoms.

The findings were published in JAMA Psychiatry on July 8, highlighting growing concerns about the potential impact of social media use on mental health.

Researchers indicate social media platforms provide users with frequent social rewards through likes and other engagement features, which may influence future online behavior. However, the extent to which individuals respond to those rewards may differ depending on their mental health.

Social Media Addiction Lawsuits

The findings come amid concerns about the impact of social media platforms on the mental health of children and young adults.

Social media companies are currently facing thousands of social media addiction lawsuits alleging platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat and YouTube were intentionally designed with addictive features that encourage compulsive use.

Many of these complaints claim social media companies use sophisticated algorithms, infinite scrolling, notifications, likes and other engagement features to keep children and teens returning to their platforms for extended periods.

Families allege those features exploit the developing brains of children and teens, encouraging repeated platform use even when it begins to interfere with sleep, school, relationships and daily activities. The lawsuits claim this compulsive use has contributed to depression, anxiety, eating disorders, body-image problems, self-harm and suicide among young users.

School districts have also filed lawsuits alleging widespread social media addiction has disrupted classrooms, strained counseling and disciplinary resources, increased absenteeism and forced schools to spend additional money addressing student mental health and behavioral problems.

Social Media and Depression

In the study, researchers from Princeton University and Trinity College Dublin found individuals diagnosed with depression or experiencing greater symptoms of depression were more likely to increase their posting activity after receiving likes on previous posts.

Led by Dr. Dan-Mircea Mirea, the team analyzed more than 17 million posts from 7,736 Twitter users across three separate datasets, examining whether the number of likes received on one day influenced how frequently users posted the following day.

The study relied on three separate datasets. One included social media users who publicly disclosed a depression diagnosis, another involved participants recruited through Twitter advertisements, and the third included individuals recruited through an online research platform.

Researchers assessed depression differently in each group. The measures included self-reported diagnoses, symptoms experienced during the previous four weeks and responses to a validated depression questionnaire.

Despite those differences, the results were consistent across all three datasets. Individuals with a depression diagnosis or more severe symptoms were more likely to increase their posting activity after receiving social media likes.

That association remained statistically significant even after researchers accounted for other factors that could influence online behavior.

In the third dataset, participants who were more responsive to social media likes also reported greater symptoms of anxiety and depression. Meanwhile, a tendency to continue posting repeatedly was associated with compulsive behavior and intrusive thoughts.

“These findings suggest potential mechanisms linking social media use to worse mental health or vice versa, and emphasize the importance of studying real-world behavior.”

— Dr. Dan-Mircea Mirea, The Reinforcement Effect of Social Media Likes in Depression

The findings differ from previous laboratory research suggesting individuals with depression may have a reduced response to rewards.

Researchers indicate social media environments may operate differently from controlled laboratory settings, since likes provide real-world social rewards that can repeatedly influence users over extended periods.

Social Media Age Restrictions

The findings appear alongside a separate study published in The BMJ on June 24, which suggests Australia’s restrictions on social media accounts for children under age 16 have not substantially reduced immediate platform use, as many adolescents continue to find ways around the age-verification requirements.

Australia’s Social Media Minimum Age Act established a minimum age of 16 for holding accounts on 10 designated social media platforms, requiring companies to take reasonable measures to prevent younger children from creating or maintaining accounts.

Led by Courtney Barnes, researchers from the University of Newcastle examined social media use among 436 Australian adolescents between the ages of 12 and 16 before the restrictions took effect and approximately three months later. Follow-up data were available for 408 participants.

The findings indicated:

• More than 85% of participants under age 16 continued using social media platforms covered by the law, with 54% to 68% accessing the services through their own accounts.
• 66% of those who continued using social media encountered age verification measures, most commonly requirements to self-declare their age or upload a photograph.
• 15% to 19% of participants reported using fake accounts to circumvent the restrictions, while 6% to 11% accessed social media through private browsers.
• Daily social media use remained relatively stable among children ages 12 and 13.
• Daily use declined from 78% to 69% among adolescents ages 14 and 15, but increased from 80% to 89% among those over age 16.

Researchers indicate the findings raise concerns about the effectiveness of age verification measures and the ability of children to circumvent social media restrictions. However, they caution that the study examined only the first three months after the law took effect and longer-term research is needed to determine whether the restrictions become more effective over time.

Social Media Addiction Bellwether Trials

Both sets of findings come as a series of social media addiction lawsuits in the U.S. have been consolidated as part of a multidistrict litigation (MDL) before U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers in the Northern District of California.

As part of the coordinated pretrial proceedings, a series of representative cases are being prepared for early trial dates to help the parties gauge how juries may respond to evidence and testimony that could be repeated throughout the litigation.

The first social media bellwether trial was initially set to begin June 15, involving claims brought by the Breathitt County school district against Meta, YouTube and TikTok. However, the trial was canceled after the district reached a settlement with Meta in late May, following earlier agreements with YouTube and TikTok.

The next social media addiction bellwether trial is scheduled to begin February 8, and is expected to address claims brought by either the Tucson Unified School District or Charleston County School District, although a final selection has not yet been announced.

Meanwhile, a separate group of youth social media addiction lawsuits is moving forward in state courts, where several cases have already gone before juries. In March, a Los Angeles jury awarded $6 million to a woman who alleged she developed anxiety and depression after becoming addicted to Facebook, YouTube and other social media platforms as a minor.

Shortly before that verdict, a New Mexico jury ordered Meta to pay $375 million to the state after finding the company liable for contributing to social media addiction among teens and resulting mental health problems.

Although the outcomes of these trials are not binding on other claims, lawyers involved in the litigation are closely watching the verdicts for indications of how juries may respond to similar evidence and testimony. The results could give either side additional leverage in negotiations and ultimately influence potential social media addiction lawsuit settlements.

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