Is there a link between social media and depression? Do Facebook and Instagram have a negative impact on your mental health?

Well, it's complicated.

Welcome back to savvy psychologist.

I'm Dr. Jade Wu, and every week

I'll help you meet life's challenges

with evidence-based research, a

sympathetic ear, and zero judgment. Sometimes scrolling through

Instagram just makes you feel bad. You try not to envy your friends but they always seem to be

traveling somewhere cool, eating something fancy, or looking cute with their

perfect just rolled out of bed hair. On the other hand, there are times when you laugh at

funny memes, catch up with old friends, and feel happy to belong to fun

social media communities. Clearly, social media isn't all bad. But people are increasingly

opinionated about the potential problems of social media. Things like cyberbullying, screen addiction, and being exposed to endless filtered images

that make it impossible not to make comparisons between yourself and others often make the news.

In July, a big study came out

in the Uber prestigious journal, Jama.

It was titled Association of Screen Time

and Depression and Adolescents.

This big headline seemed to confirm what a lot of people have been saying,

that screen time is horrible for young people.

The study followed over 3,800 adolescents over four years as part of a drug and alcohol prevention program.

Part of what the investigators measured was the teen's amount of screen time, including time spent

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