The Impact of Spending Time in Different Social Media Platforms on Urban Areas User’s Specific Mental Health: Stress, Anxiety and Depression

Abstract

  While extensive research in Western contexts has linked social media use to mental health outcomes, few studies have investigated quantified time spent across platforms in non-Western urban settings in South Asia. This study addresses this gap by examining the relationship between time spent on social media platforms (Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok) and mental health outcomes among urban young adults in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Using the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21), quantitative data were collected from 322 participants aged 16–30, categorized into light (0–2 hours/day), moderate (2–6 hours/day), and heavy (>6 hours/day) social media users. Hypotheses proposed that increased social media use would correlate with heightened mental health symptoms. Results from one-way ANOVA revealed no significant differences in DASS-21 scores across usage groups (F (4, 317) = 1.376, p = .242), and post hoc Tukey HSD tests confirmed no significant pairwise differences (p > .05). However, significant positive correlations emerged between platforms, notably TikTok and Instagram (r = .315, p < .001). These findings suggest no statistically meaningful link between social media usage time and mental health in this sample, contrasting with prior studies in Western contexts. Cultural factors, such as social connectivity in dense urban settings, may buffer negative effects. Methodological limitations, including self-reported usage and a cross-sectional design, highlight the need for longitudinal and mixed-methods research to explore nuanced interactions. This study contributes to the growing discourse on social media’s mental health impacts, emphasizing context-specific investigations in non-Western populations. Keywords

social media usage, mental health, young adults, urban mental health, cross sectional study, dass-21