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    A Rise In Depression Among Teens And Young Adults Could Be Linked To Social Media Use

    A new study shows a rise in depression and stress among young people parallels the growth in smartphone and social media use.
    by Patti Neighmond Mar 14, 2019 4 minutes
    During the era that social media and smartphones has risen, depression and stress among young people has also risen.

    A study published Thursday in the Journal of Abnormal Psychology finds the percentage of U.S. teens and young adults reporting mental distress, depression and suicidal thoughts and actions has risen significantly over the past decade. While these problems also increased among adults 26 and older, the increase was not nearly as large as among younger people.

    The study findings suggest a generational shift says psychologist Jean Twenge, with San Diego State University who headed the study and is author of the book iGen. To see a significant increase in negative psychological states "among our vulnerable population of teens and young adults is absolutely heartbreaking," she says.

    Twenge and her colleagues analyzed data from, a government survey that tracks mental health and substance use in individuals age 12 and over in the U.S. They looked at survey responses from more than 200,000 adolescents ages 12 to 17 and almost 400,000 young adults ages 18 and over between 2005 and 2017.

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