Social Media Use, Genotype and Adolescent Mental Health: A Social Push Pattern Among Girls

Research shows that social media use is associated with poorer adolescent mental health, with stronger adverse consequences for girls. Less is known about whether these associations vary by adolescents’ genetic propensity for poor mental health. Drawing on the diathesis-stress and social push models, this study examines whether social media use interacts with genetic propensity for depression in shaping depressive symptoms, low self-esteem, and body dissatisfaction. Using data from the UK Millennium Cohort Study (MCS) and a trio design to account for confounding by parents’ genotypes, we find that social media use is associated with poorer mental health, and this is stronger among girls. The genotype-social media use interaction is also highly gendered: the detrimental influence of social media is strongest among girls with low genetic propensities for depression. A moderate level of social media use is sufficient to worsen mental health and compress genetic differences, consistent with a social push pattern.