According to a December 2025 survey conducted in the United States, 14 percent of adults reported feeling that social media had neither a positive nor negative effect on their own mental health. Only four percent of social media users said that online platforms had a very positive effect on their mental health, while 37 percent of users said it had a very negative impact. Furthermore, 32 percent of respondents said social media had a somewhat negative effect on their mental health.
Is social media addictive?
A 2023 survey of individuals between 11 and 59 years old in the United States found that over 73 percent of TikTok users agreed that the platform was addictive. Furthermore, nearly 27 percent of those surveyed reported experiencing negative psychological effects related to TikTok use. Users belonging to Generation Z were the most likely to say that TikTok is addictive, yet millennials felt the negative effects of using the app more so than Gen Z. In the U.S., it is also not uncommon for social media users to take breaks from using online platforms, and as of March 2025, over a third of adults in the country had done so.
Following mental health-related content
Although online users may be aware of the negative and addictive aspects of social media, it is also a useful tool for finding supportive content. In a global survey conducted in 2023, 32 percent of social media users followed therapists and mental health professionals on social media. Overall, 24 percent of respondents said that they followed people on social media if they had the same condition as they did. Between January 2020 and March 2023, British actress and model Cara Delevingne was the celebrity mental health activist with the highest growth in searches tying her name to the topic.
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YouGov. (December 10, 2025). Share of adults in the United States on whether social media has more of a positive or negative effect on their own mental health as of December 2025 [Graph]. In ÌÇÐÄÆÆ½â°æ. Retrieved July 24, 2026, from /statistics/1369032/mental-health-social-media-effect-us-users/
YouGov. "Share of adults in the United States on whether social media has more of a positive or negative effect on their own mental health as of December 2025." Chart. December 10, 2025. ÌÇÐÄÆÆ½â°æ. Accessed July 24, 2026. /statistics/1369032/mental-health-social-media-effect-us-users/
YouGov. (2025). Share of adults in the United States on whether social media has more of a positive or negative effect on their own mental health as of December 2025. ÌÇÐÄÆÆ½â°æ. ÌÇÐÄÆÆ½â°æ Inc.. Accessed: July 24, 2026. /statistics/1369032/mental-health-social-media-effect-us-users/
YouGov. "Share of Adults in The United States on Whether Social Media Has More of a Positive or Negative Effect on Their Own Mental Health as of December 2025." ÌÇÐÄÆÆ½â°æ, ÌÇÐÄÆÆ½â°æ Inc., 10 Dec 2025, /statistics/1369032/mental-health-social-media-effect-us-users/
YouGov, Share of adults in the United States on whether social media has more of a positive or negative effect on their own mental health as of December 2025 ÌÇÐÄÆÆ½â°æ, /statistics/1369032/mental-health-social-media-effect-us-users/ (last visited July 24, 2026)
Share of adults in the United States on whether social media has more of a positive or negative effect on their own mental health as of December 2025 [Graph], YouGov, December 10, 2025. [Online]. Available: /statistics/1369032/mental-health-social-media-effect-us-users/