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Study Shows a Correlation Between Social Media Use and Irritability

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Key Takeaways

  • Frequent social media use, especially active engagement, correlates with increased irritability among US adults.
  • Platforms like Twitter, TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook are linked to heightened irritability when used frequently.
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New research reveals that frequent social media use, especially active use of platforms such as TikTok and Facebook, is linked to greater irritability levels.

Roy H. Perlis, MD, MSc I Credit: Mass General Research Institute

Roy H. Perlis, MD, MSc

Credit: Mass General Research Institute

A recent study showed a correlation between frequent social media use and increased irritability.1

“A dose-response pattern was particularly apparent when frequency of posting (ie, active rather than passive engagement) was considered, although the particular pattern and magnitude varied by platform,” wrote investigators, led by Roy H. Perlis, MD, MSc, from the Center for Quantitative Health at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Research has previously documented the association between social media use and depressive symptoms in adolescents, young adults, and subsequently in adults.2,3,4 However, due to the studies’ cross-sectional design, the research has only indicated an association and has not yet proved that social media use directly leads to depressive symptoms. One randomized clinical trial discovered that discontinuing Facebook was linked to an improved mood.5

Studies examining the link between social media use and depressive symptoms often neglect other negative impacts—namely, irritability.1 Investigators sought to assess the association between social media use and irritability among US adults and address gaps such as if politics contributes to this negative effect. The primary outcome was the Brief Irritability Test score (range, 5 – 30), with greater scores indicating greater irritability.

The team analyzed data from 2 waves of the COVID States Project, an internet survey conducted between November 2, 2023, and January 8, 2024. There were 42,597 participants aged ≥ 18 years (mean age, 46 years) from all 50 US states and the District of Columbia, with 58.5% identifying as women, 40.4% as men, and 1.1% as nonbinary. Participants were mostly White (66.6%), followed by Black (13.9%), Hispanic (12.5%), Asian American (2.9%), Native American (1.5%), Other (1.5%), and Pacific Islander (1.2%).

Respondents reported their frequency of social media use (< once a week, once a week, several times a week, about once a day, several times a day, or most of the day) for each platform, examining Instagram, Twitter/X, Facebook, and TikTok. They also reported their frequency of posting (never, < a month, about once a month, about once a week, about once a day, or multiple times a day).

The Brief Irritability Test asked respondents to rate how often they felt irritable, grumpy, or likely to snap in the past two weeks, using a 1 (never) to 6 (always) scale. Respondents also completed the 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire, and the 2-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder screen to assess for depressive symptom severity and anxiety, respectively.

Political engagement was assessed with the questions “How closely do you follow news and information about politics and current affairs?” and “How often do you talk to people about politics and current affairs?” Respondents reported their political affiliation.

78.2% of survey respondents reported daily use of ≥ 1 social media platform, with 14.2% using it once a day, 39.2% using it multiple times daily, and 24.9% using it most of the day. Univariate regression models showed frequent use of social media, particularly more than once a day (1.43 points; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.22 – 1.63 points) or for most of the day (3.37 points; 95% CI, 3.15 – 3.60), was linked to significantly greater irritability than people who did not have daily social media use.

Adjusted models also showed using social media more than once a day or most of the day was associated with greater irritability (0.38 points; 95% CI, 0.18-0.58 points and 1.55 points; 95% CI, 1.32 - 1.78 points, respectively). These associations continued after taking into consideration measures of political engagement.

Irritability was most pronounced among participants using Twitter (95% CI, 0.30-1.05 points), TikTok (95% CI, 1.44 - 1.94 points), Instagram (95% CI, 0.44-0.94 points), and Facebook (95% CI, 1.19 - 1.61 points) most of the day). Participants who used TikTok and Facebook several times a day had increased irritability. Posting more frequently also correlated with greater irritability levels.

Frequent political discussions were linked to greater irritability (A few times a day, 1.20 points; 95% CI, 0.80 – 1.60 points). Political affiliation made no significant difference.

“Our findings suggest the critical nature of considering irritability as an important form of negative valence in its own right,” investigators wrote. “As such, the observation that high levels of social media use correlates with irritability may have further real-world consequences that merit further study.”

References

  1. Perlis RH, Uslu A, Schulman J, Gunning FM, Santillana M, Baum MA, Druckman JN, Ognyanova K, Lazer D. Irritability and Social Media Use in US Adults. JAMA Netw Open. 2025 Jan 2;8(1):e2452807. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.52807. PMID: 39775809.
  2. Woods HC, Scott H. #Sleepyteens: social media use in adolescence is associated with poor sleep quality, anxiety, depression and low self-esteem. J Adolesc. 2016;51:41-49. doi:10.1016/j.adolescence.2016.05.008
  3. Lin LY, Sidani JE, Shensa A, et al. Association between social media use and depression among U.S. young adults. Depress Anxiety. 2016;33(4):323-331. doi:10.1002/da.22466
  4. Perlis RH, Green J, Simonson M, et al. Association between social media use and self-reported symptoms of depression in US adults. JAMA Netw Open. 2021;4(11):e2136113. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.36113
  5. Allcott H, Braghieri L, Eichmeyer S, Gentzkow M. The welfare effects of social media. Am Econ Rev. 2020;110(3):629-676. doi:10.1257/aer.20190658


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