One of the fears surrounding social media is that it could provoke anxiety in young people by driving them to keep using the apps more than they want to so they can gather more and more likes. Team member Wouter van den Bos: ‘Adolescence is a developmental period during which both reward and rejection sensitivity are particularly strong, and these have, respectively, been linked to increased impulsive behaviour and depressive symptoms.’

The researchers used a three-pronged approach to exam the issue. First, they looked at a large dataset of real-life Instagram posts, and used a computational model to capture the sensitivity to likes. Second came an experimental study, which mimicked the features of social media platforms and could be used to track changes in mood. Finally, an exploratory neuroimaging study showed that sensitivity to social media feedback is related to individual differences in amygdala volume. Taken together, the three studies showed converging evidence that young people may indeed be more sensitive to social media feedback than adults.

Adolescence is a crucial period in our lives, marked by heightened sensitivity to peer approval and rejection. In the context of this research, this heightened sensitivity leads to an interesting paradox: while receiving likes seems to generate a feeling of connectedness and can enhance young people’s mood, this positive outcome could also create such a pull toward the apps that it could lead to problematic overuse. On the other hand, given their sensitivity, young people would stop using the platforms sooner than adults if they weren’t receiving the likes, but this could also lead to increasingly negative mood.

With the researchers’ results suggesting that the current design of social media platforms may have both positive and negative impacts on young people, it seems interventions to address the negative side effects may be needed.

The researchers propose that, firstly, platforms should change incentive structures, shifting the emphasis away from likes and towards more meaningful engagement. Secondly, they suggest that we should not only focus on strengthening the digital literacy of young people - since they probably know more about this topic than any other generation - but instead focus on developing skilful emotion regulation in online environments.

Study first author Ana da Silva Pinho: ‘While social media plays an important role in fostering some aspects of youth development, such as identity formation and social connection, our study reveals that it may also present challenges, particularly relating to young people’s moods. Given the growing concerns about the impact of social media on mental health, it is crucial that we further understand how young people engage with and respond to social media, while also addressing the unique aspects of their developmental stages.’