Social comparison on social media tied to teen anxiety and depression

What teenagers do online may matter more than how long they spend there

Debates about social media and young people often begin with a deceptively simple question: how much time are teenagers spending on their phones? A new study from researchers at Karolinska Institutet and the Norwegian Institute of Public Health points to a more useful question: what are they doing while they are there?

In questionnaire responses from 4,011 adolescents at 21 schools in southeastern Norway, social comparison on social media showed substantially stronger associations with symptoms of anxiety, social anxiety and depression than using social media to pass time when bored. The participants were surveyed in autumn 2025 and were about 14 years old on average.

The study, published in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health, does not establish that social comparison causes mental health problems. But it adds weight to a growing argument that screen-time totals alone may obscure the experiences that matter most for adolescent wellbeing.

Five aspects of social media use

Rather than treating social media as a single behavior, the researchers examined five distinct aspects of use and experience: comparing oneself with others, passing time, seeking support, experiencing hostility from others, and behaving with hostility toward others.

Participants also answered questions about symptoms related to depression, generalized anxiety, social anxiety, ADHD and oppositional defiant disorder. These questions measured symptoms; they were not used to diagnose any participant with a mental health condition.

Passing time was the most prominent reason for using social media among the adolescents. It had weak associations with the symptoms the researchers examined. By contrast, social comparison was also common and had considerably stronger associations, particularly with anxiety, social anxiety and depression.

That contrast is important because broad measures of use can combine very different experiences. A teenager watching a short video while waiting for a bus is not necessarily having the same experience as one repeatedly judging their appearance, popularity or life against carefully selected posts from peers and influencers.

Why the distinction changes the conversation

Jonas Raninen, an associate professor at Karolinska Institutet’s Department of Clinical Neuroscience, said the findings point to the need to distinguish between different ways of using social platforms. Overall measures of time spent on social media have not produced strong evidence of an association with mental health, according to the researchers. Looking more closely at behavior may help explain why.

The study does not suggest that passing time online is inherently harmless, nor that every comparison is damaging. It instead shows that these activities do not carry the same statistical relationship to the mental-health symptoms measured in the survey.

For parents, educators, clinicians and platform designers, that is a more actionable finding than a single daily screen-time figure. A conversation about online life can move beyond whether a young person used an app and toward what they encountered there: Were they seeking connection or support? Did an interaction become hostile? Did a stream of images leave them feeling they had fallen short?

Association is not causation

The study’s design also requires caution. The researchers collected questionnaire responses at one point in time, so the results cannot determine the direction of the relationship. Social comparison may contribute to distress for some adolescents. It is also possible that teenagers already experiencing anxiety or depression are more likely to compare themselves with others online, or that other factors influence both patterns.

The research does, however, identify an association strong enough to warrant more focused study. It also underscores that mental health and digital behavior should not be reduced to a contest between “good” and “bad” apps or a universal limit measured in minutes.

Social platforms host entertainment, friendships, support, conflict, self-expression and observation all at once. Their effects are likely to depend on a combination of personal circumstances, social environment and the particular ways a person uses them.

What a more precise response could look like

A more targeted approach to adolescent digital wellbeing would pay attention to patterns rather than impose a one-size-fits-all interpretation of time online. Parents and schools can make room for nonjudgmental discussion of comparison, online conflict and the pressure to present an idealized version of oneself. Health professionals can ask about online experiences as part of a broader conversation about symptoms and relationships.

• Ask what kinds of posts or interactions tend to affect mood.
• Distinguish passive comparison from communication, support-seeking and creative activity.
• Treat concerning symptoms seriously whether or not social media appears to be involved.
• Avoid assuming that a time total alone describes a young person’s online experience.

For researchers, the Norwegian survey offers a useful direction: measure behavior and experience with greater precision. The result is not a final verdict on social media, but it is a reminder that the mechanisms behind digital life matter. Understanding whether adolescents are connecting, comparing, seeking support or facing hostility may reveal far more than the number of hours an app was open.

This article is based on reporting by Medical Xpress. Read the original article.