How You Scroll Matters: Passive Social Media Use Linked to Loneliness

Excerpt:  “The JRC study, which examines social media use patterns across Europe, reveals that approximately 34.5% and 26.1% of respondents aged 16-30 use social networking sites and instant messaging tools for more than two hours per day. Additionally, over one-third of young respondents show patterns consistent with social media addiction like neglecting work, family or school for social media use multiple times a week. For those aged 31 and above, these figures are significantly lower. The empirical analysis suggests that spending more than two hours daily on social networking sites is associated with a substantial increase in loneliness prevalence, but the results also point to a critical distinction. While intensive passive use of social media correlates with greater loneliness, there is no significant association between intensive use of instant messaging tools, or between active use of social media and loneliness.”