Why and when student–athletes use social media, rather than how much, has a greater influence on their mental health, according to one of the first wide-scale surveys of social media engagement and well-being in college athletes.
“A user’s perception of their social media use and the importance it has in their daily life is particularly telling,” said Chris Barry, psychology professor and principal investigator for the project.
“We saw a huge increase in screen time, but a lot of that was very functional for what they had to do academically and what they had to do to stay connected with friends and family,” said Barry. “However, we saw decreases in reported anxiety, stress, and loneliness, which were completely counter to what we expected. In hindsight, it may have been a sense of relief about some academic and athletic demands being lowered; and it may also have been a sense of ‘we’re all in this weird common experience.’”