Free time media use impacts on happiness and wellbeing

While technology and social media use can be useful in some ways, research shows that improper use of technology and social media can worsen depression, anxiety, focus, sleep and other mental health symptoms (1).

A previous post discussed how unhealthy ways of using technology can have negative effects on our mental health (2) and another study looked at social media use and irritability (3).

This study looked at happiness and wellbeing related to the amount of media use in free time (4).

What was the study? (4)

  • Twenge and colleagues looked at three large surveys of digital media consumption in adolescents in two countries (n = 221,096) (4).
  • Digital media use during their free time (discretionary media use) (smartphones, computers, social media, gaming, Internet) (4).
  • Users were classified into light users (<1 h a day) heavy users (5+ hours a day) (4).

What was the result? (4)

  • Heavy users (vs. light) of digital media were 48% to 171% more likely to be unhappy, to be in low in well-being, or to have suicide risk factors such as depression, suicidal ideation, or past suicide attempts (4).
  • Light users (rather than non- or moderate users) were highest in well-being (4).
  • Largest drop in wellbeing occurred when users went from moderate to heavy use (4).
  • The probability of low well being increased as discretionary media use exceed 1 hour per day.

What are some caveats?

  • The study conducted in 2 countries and may not be generalizable worldwide (4)
  • Media use and mental health can be a complex topic and individual results may vary depending on the amount and type of usage.
  • The study did not analyze specific social media content (4).
  • While this study showed correlation, it does not show cause and effect. It should be noted that other studies have found similar results (4).
  • The study did not examine why non users had lower well being than light users (4)
  • The study relied on self-report rather than objective measures (4).

Some healthy ways of using technology are outlined here: https://u.osu.edu/emotionalfitness/2020/12/11/593/

By Ryan S Patel DO, FAPA OSU-CCS Psychiatrist Inquires: patel.2350@osu.edu

Disclaimer: This article is intended to be informative only. It is advised that you check with your own physician/mental health provider before implementing any changes. With this article, the author is not rendering medical advice, nor diagnosing, prescribing, or treating any condition, or injury; and therefore claims no responsibility to any person or entity for any liability, loss, or injury caused directly or indirectly as a result of the use, application, or interpretation of the material presented.

References:

  1. Patel R. Mental Health For College StudentsChapter 8. Social Media Technology and mental health, Page 237-289.
  2. https://u.osu.edu/emotionalfitness/2020/12/11/593/
  3.  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. https://u.osu.edu/emotionalfitness/?p=836
  4. Twenge JM, Campbell WK. Media Use Is Linked to Lower Psychological Well-Being: Evidence from Three Datasets. Psychiatr Q. 2019 Jun;90(2):311-331. doi: 10.1007/s11126-019-09630-7. PMID: 30859387.

Study: Sleep and stress levels

College students can take many steps in their everyday lives to improve their mental health, one of the main factors is sleep (1).

Poor sleep in college students can impact tension, irritability, depression, confusion, reduced life satisfaction, or poor academic performance (2).

Yet more than 75% of students report getting less than 8 hours of sleep on average on weeknights over the last 2 weeks according to the Fall 2024 ACHA-NCHA IIIb Reference Group survey of 33,763 college students across 48 institutions (3).

A recent study looked at sleep and stress levels (4)

32 college students recorded their daily sleep duration using a wristband for six days and took a survey of stress, resilience, and sleep quality.

What were the results? 

  • Poor sleep quality is associated with greater perceived stress (4)

  • Lack of sleep can make students more vulnerable to stressful situations(4)

  • Insufficient sleep for five consecutive nights can alter the evaluation of neutral and pleasant stimuli, leading to a more negative perception (4)

  • Improving self control impacted the relationship between sleep and stress (4)

What are some caveats?

  • The findings of this study build on another study which showed that sleep deprivation can increase the stress hormone cortisol by up to 21% (5)
  • This is 1 small study and further research is needed
  • Participants were recruited through convenience sampling, which may introduce selection bias (4)
  • While sleep duration was measured objectively using a Fitbit, and self-reported data  of the study can be subject to inaccuracies due to bias and social desirability bias(4)

Strategies to manage stress can be found here: https://u.osu.edu/emotionalfitness/2014/08/15/stress-and-what-to-do-about-it/

Strategies for sleep can be found here: https://u.osu.edu/emotionalfitness/2017/12/31/poor-sleep-and-poor-grades-might-go-together/

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By Ryan S Patel DO, FAPA OSU-CCS Psychiatrist

Contact: patel.2350@osu.edu

Disclaimer: This article is intended to be informative only. It is advised that you check with your own physician/mental health provider before implementing any changes.  With this article, the author is not rendering medical advice, nor diagnosing, prescribing, or treating any condition, or injury; and therefore claims no responsibility to any person or entity for any liability, loss, or injury caused directly or indirectly as a result of the use, application, or interpretation of the material presented.

References:

  1. Patel R. Mental Health For College Students Chapter 7. Sleep strategies to improve mental health.
  2. Buboltz WC Jr, Brown F, Soper B. Sleep habits and patterns of college students: a preliminary study. J Am Coll Health. 2001 Nov;50(3):131-5. doi: 10.1080/07448480109596017. PMID: 11765249.
  3. American College Health Association. American College Health Association-National College Health Assessment III: Reference Group Executive Summary Fall 2024. Silver Spring, MD: American College Health Association; 2025.
  4. Tafoya SA, Aldrete-Cortez V, Tafoya-Ramos F, Fouilloux-Morales C, Díaz-Olavarrieta C. Sleep and Perceived Stress: An Exploratory Mediation Analysis of the Role of Self-Control and Resilience among University Students. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2023 Aug 11;20(16):6560. doi: 10.3390/ijerph20166560. PMID: 37623146; PMCID: PMC10454638.
  5. Lamon S, Morabito A, Arentson-Lantz E, Knowles O, Vincent GE, Condo D, Alexander SE, Garnham A, Paddon-Jones D, Aisbett B. The effect of acute sleep deprivation on skeletal muscle protein synthesis and the hormonal environment. Physiol Rep. 2021 Jan;9(1):e14660. doi: 10.14814/phy2.14660. PMID: 33400856; PMCID: PMC7785053.

Can social media use make you feel irritable?

While technology and social media use can be useful in some ways, research shows that improper use of technology and social media can worsen depression, anxiety, focus, sleep and other mental health symptoms (1).

A previous post discussed how unhealthy ways of using technology can have negative effects on our mental health (2).

A 2025 JAMA study by Perlis and colleagues, looked at social media and irritability (3).

What was the study? (3)

42,597 US adults were surveyed (between November 2023 to Jan 2024) on their use of social media and measures of irritability using a Brief irritability Test (3).

What was the result? (3)

  • 6,037  participants (14.2%) reported using once a day; 16, 678 (39.2%) using multiple times a day; and 10, 610 (24.9%) using most of the day (3).
  • The study found that frequent use of social media was associated with significantly greater irritability. ( Adjusted models (for more than once a day, 0.38 points [95% CI, 0.18-0.58 points]; for most of the day, 1.55 points [95% CI, 1.32-1.78 points]). (3)
  • These associations persisted after incorporating measures of political engagement (3).

What are some caveats?

  • The study accounted for other mental health symptoms, including depression and anxiety (3).
  • This was a correlational study, so does not tell us about cause and effect (3).
  • The association between social media and mood is complex. For example, it has been suggested that some social media platforms may  seek to elicit outrage as a means of increasing engagement (4).
  • The study did not analyze specific social media content (3).
  • The study relied on self-report rather than objective measures.

Some healthy ways of using technology are outlined here: https://u.osu.edu/emotionalfitness/2020/12/11/593/

By Ryan S Patel DO, FAPA OSU-CCS Psychiatrist

Disclaimer: This article is intended to be informative only. It is advised that you check with your own physician/mental health provider before implementing any changes. With this article, the author is not rendering medical advice, nor diagnosing, prescribing, or treating any condition, or injury; and therefore claims no responsibility to any person or entity for any liability, loss, or injury caused directly or indirectly as a result of the use, application, or interpretation of the material presented.

References:

  1. Patel R. Mental Health For College StudentsChapter 8. Social Media Technology and mental health, Page 237-289.
  2. https://u.osu.edu/emotionalfitness/2020/12/11/593/
  3. 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.
  4. Brady  WJ, McLoughlin  K, Doan  TN, Crockett  MJ.  How social learning amplifies moral outrage expression in online social networks.   Sci Adv. 2021;7(33):eabe5641. doi:10.1126/sciadv.abe5641
  5. Burke  M, Kraut  RE.  The relationship between Facebook use and well-being depends on communication type and tie strength.   J Comput Mediat Commun. 2016;21(4):265-281. doi:10.1111/jcc4.12162