The Dark Side of Social Media: Recommender Algorithms and Mental Health

Simona Mandile

No 11648, CESifo Working Paper Series from CESifo

Abstract: This paper investigates the impact of social media algorithms on mental health outcomes. I exploit a quasi-experimental setting combining data from the Dutch Longitudinal Internet Studies for the Social Sciences (LISS) coupled with the introduction of the algorithmic feed on Instagram in 2016. I estimate a differences-in-differences model comparing individuals having an Instagram account with individuals who have an account on social media platforms other than Instagram. Using a longitudinal dataset, allows for comparison of the same individuals before and after the introduction of the algorithm. The results show that the introduction of the algorithm on Instagram had a negative impact on teenagers mental health. Furthermore, I show that this effect cannot be attributed to a decrease in stigma surrounding mental health issues or an increased likelihood of individuals reporting such conditions. Additionally, evidence on mechanisms suggests that the results are due to the algorithm on Instagram favoring negative social comparisons.

Keywords: social media; recommendation algorithm; mental health (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I12 I31 L82 L86 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-hea and nep-pay
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.cesifo.org/DocDL/cesifo1_wp11648.pdf (application/pdf)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ces:ceswps:_11648

Access Statistics for this paper

More papers in CESifo Working Paper Series from CESifo Contact information at EDIRC.
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Klaus Wohlrabe ().