The Impact of Social Media Use on Attitudes Toward Mental Healthcare: The Role of Emotional Connectedness and Routine Integration of Social Media

Social media use plays an important role in the lives of adolescents and young adults, who use various platforms for social connectedness and support. The current study focuses on the relationship between social media engagement and adolescents’ and emerging adults’ attitudes and beliefs toward mental health help-seeking. This study explored the amount of time spent as well as the emotional connectedness to social media. Data were collected through online survey panels of adolescents aged 13–17 (n = 126) and emerging adults aged 18–24 (n = 125) living in the USA. Our results indicated that spending more than 5 h per day on social media was directly associated with posting on social media for help. However, subsequent analyses suggested that the impact of time spent was indirect via the level of connection to social media use. Routine use of social media was associated with less distrust and lower negative attitudes toward mental health care, while emotional connection to social media use was associated with higher levels of distrust and negative attitudes. Both levels of connection with social media use were associated with posting for help on social media. Social media use could both be a risk factor and a potential resource for adolescent and emerging adult mental health and help-seeking.