The Pew Research report concludes that nearly half of all teens beliefs that social media has no positive or negative impact on their health. Social media can allow people to feel like they fit in with a group of people. It can also decrease isolation and loneliness, while increasing the ability to connect with others over shared interests in views. When looking at the potential benefits of social media, it is necessary to draw a line between teens who are actively engaged online and those who are passively browsing.
When a teenager passively looks at these apparently perfect lives, it can inspire feelings of depression and self-hatred because their life seems less perfect. There is a correlation between social media use and depression or suicide, but this does not mean that social media use is the cause. It is possible that teens who are prone to depression and suicidal ideation are more likely to go on social media for many hours per day.
While social media addiction has not been recognized as an official mental health disorder by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, excessive social media and internet usage can share similar characteristics of impulse control disorders and gambling addiction.