Studies Link Visual Social Media to Poorer Youth Mental Health

A global study of nearly 55,000 young adults across 34 countries has linked image- and video-based social media platforms, including Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat, to significantly worse mental health outcomes compared to text-based sites like X and Reddit. Published in early 2025 by Sapien Labs, the research found that users of visual platforms reported lower emotional well-being, social self-image and adaptability, a pattern consistent regardless of cultural or economic differences.

The Sapien Labs Global Mind Project, led by Tara Thiagarajan, surveyed individuals aged 18 to 24 and measured psychological health through a composite Mental Health Quotient covering mood, outlook, social connections and cognitive function. Participants primarily using short-form video and image content scored substantially lower on these metrics than those favoring text discussions. Thiagarajan noted the findings' uniformity, stating they held across high- and low-income nations without variation based on local attitudes toward mental health.

This comes amid separate research from the University of East Anglia, published in March 2026, which reviewed 27 studies analyzing over 5,000 social media...