International Journal of

Environmental Research
and Public Health

Article
The Relationship between Social Media and the Increase in
Mental Health Problems
Hasan Beyari

Department of Administrative and Financial Sciences, Applied College, Umm Al-Qura University,
Makkah 24382, Saudi Arabia; [email protected]

Abstract: Social media has become an indispensable aspect of young people’s digital interactions, as
they use it mostly for entertainment and communication purposes. Consequently, it has the potential
to have both positive and negative effects on them. Deterioration in mental health is one of the
side effects stemming from social media overuse. This study investigates the relationship between
social media and the increase in mental health problems in Saudi Arabia. The population considered
for analysis includes young people from Saudi Arabia, with a sample size of 385. A closed-ended
survey questionnaire was used to collect data on different social media features and criteria. Using
the Analytical Hierarchical Process (AHP), the researcher analyzed data to compare the effect of
different social media features on mental health. The social media features included in this paper
are private chats and calls, group chats and calls, browsing posts, games, media sharing, adverts,
likes/comments/followers, and pages. The researcher adopted entertainment, information, social
interaction, privacy, esteem, and communication as the criteria in the AHP process. Among these
criteria, the study found that entertainment was the most significant, while privacy was the least
significant. Findings suggested that likes, comments, and followers were the biggest contributors to
poor mental health (total utility = 56.24). The least effective feature was ‘games’ (total utility = 2.56).
The researcher recommends that social media users be cautious when interacting with social media
features, especially likes, comments, followers, media, and posts, because of their significant effect on
mental health.

Keywords: social media; mental health; analytical hierarchical process (AHP); followers; posts;
Saudi Arabia
Citation: Beyari, H. The Relationship
between Social Media and the
Increase in Mental Health Problems.
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023,
1. Introduction
20, 2383. https://doi.org/10.3390/
ijerph20032383 Mental health is a crucial aspect of human wellbeing, yet it is often overlooked and
stigmatized. According to the World Health Organization, the prevalence of mental health
Academic Editor: Sen-Chi Yu
problems is increasing at a rate of 13% per year [1]. Anxiety and depression are the most
Received: 28 December 2022 common mental health issues, affecting 264 million and 280 million people worldwide,
Revised: 20 January 2023 respectively [2,3]. In addition, an estimated 269 million people were struggling with drug
Accepted: 27 January 2023 and substance abuse by the end of 2018 [4]. These numbers are likely to continue to rise due
Published: 29 January 2023 to a variety of factors. One factor that has been identified as contributing to the increase in
mental health challenges is the use of technologies, including social media. Social media
refers to applications that allow users to interact with each other through the creation and
exchange of media, text, and calls within a network [5]. Some examples of social media
Copyright: © 2023 by the author. platforms include Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok. Key social media features
Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
considered in this investigation are private chats, group chats, browsing posts, adverts,
This article is an open access article
media sharing, calls, likes and comments, and pages. Social media has been linked to poor
distributed under the terms and
sleep patterns, depression, and anxiety [6]. In addition, ref. [7] warns of the negative impact
conditions of the Creative Commons
that excessive social media use can have on the mental health of young people.
Attribution (CC BY) license (https://
Saudi Arabia has a high level of social media usage, with 82.3% of the population (29.5
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/
million people) using social media in 2022 [8]. Young people, who make up 36.74% of the
4.0/).

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20, 2383. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20032383 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20, 2383 2 of 11

population, are the biggest users of social media in Saudi Arabia, with 98.43% of young
people using social networking sites [9]. The top three reasons given by Saudis for using
social media are keeping in touch with friends and family, use of free time, and finding
products to purchase [8]. The prevalence of mental health issues in the KSA is estimated to
be around 20.2% [10]. Depression is the most common mental health condition, affecting
21% of the population, followed by anxiety (17.5%) and stress (12.6%) [11]. Research has
shown that social media use in Saudi Arabia is correlated with increased mental health
issues [12]. High social media exposure has also been found to be associated with a higher
risk of depression and anxiety in the kingdom [12]. Studies have also shown a significant
correlation between the use of social networking sites and the increase in depression-related
conditions in Saudi Arabia [13].
The aim of this study is to examine the impact of social media on mental health in
Saudi Arabia and to identify which social media features have the greatest impact on
increasing mental health issues. The study uses an Analytical Hierarchical Process (AHP)
to analyze several social media features and determine their impacts on mental health. By
understanding the specific features that contribute to mental health problems, individuals
and policymakers can take steps to alleviate mental health issues and reduce the negative
effects of social media. The results of this study will provide valuable insights into the
impact of social media on mental health in Saudi Arabia and can inform the development
of strategies to mitigate these effects.

2. Literature Review
One of the primary features of social media is chatting. As a social network, chats are
a powerful method of communication among social media users. They may take the form
of group or private chats. According to [14], young people with psychological issues tend
to worsen their conditions by participating in social media chatrooms. Private chats are not
exempted, as ref. [15] found that constant chatting with other people without feeling their
physical presence is one reason for the increase in mental health issues among social media
users. The outcome is more loneliness, a common factor in psychological deterioration.
While chatting may not directly cause depression and other mental health problems, it can
exacerbate an individual’s symptoms if one engages in long chats [16]. The studies further
caution that young people must be careful when chatting with their peers on social media.
Browsing posts and advertisements are equally part of social media. Social media
posts often portray falsehoods by allowing one to elevate their good qualities and suppress
their negative ones [17]. Young people may not understand this fact, and they are likely
to think that something is wrong with themselves because they do not look as good as
the posts made by their friends. The authors of [18] found that social media influencers
significantly contribute to the poor mental health of social media users. Advertisements
power most social networking platforms, and users have had to embrace the presence
of ads alongside their digital social lives. Because of their wide viewership, ads shape
the psychology and opinions of young people on these platforms [19]. An advertisement
portraying a muscular individual may depress a social media user who does not have
similar body features. Similarly, ads with tall girls may negatively impact young girls
psychologically because of social projection.
Sharing media, playing games on digital social networks, and interacting on video
conferencing channels may negatively impact an individual’s mental health. In some cases,
ref. [14] found that the sharing of media and interactions on social media prompts users
to think less of themselves. Some users may not have good enough videos because their
equipment, such as cameras, is not as good as their friends’ devices. Moreover, watching
videos on social media can be an addictive habit if left unchecked. The authors of [20] argue
that the active watching of and commenting on YouTube videos makes the platform overly
addictive compared to people who passively watch videos without associated interactions.
The authors advise that people’s interactions on video-based social media platforms should
be minimal. Regarding games, ref. [21] argues that high involvement in social media games
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20, 2383 3 of 11

can result in addiction. Such a condition may make an individual overly dependent on
these games, which distorts their mental health.
An individual’s following and the intensity with which people react to their posts
can impact their mental health. For example, ref. [22] reports that users who update more
frequently on their social media pages tend to receive more feedback in the form of likes
and comments. This feedback is important, as it enhances the self-esteem of post authors.
Moreover, ref. [23] observes that people receiving negative feedback from their social media
posts are more susceptible to emotional distress. The study affirms that technologies aiding
young people in comparing social statuses present a risk to their mental wellbeing. Some
turn to social media to increase followers and gain a sense of gratification to compensate
for their emotional and psychological challenges [24]. This leads them further down the
path of a graver depression.

3. Methodology
This section provides an explanation of the methodological processes that the re-
searcher used in order to acquire data and analyze them. The research design of this study
is described in Section 3.1, which is then followed by the population, the sampling method,
and the survey instrument. The phases of the Analytical Hierarchical Process (AHP) used
in the research are explained in the following subsections.

3.1. Research Design

The specific approach taken by the researcher is the Analytical Hierarchical Process
(AHP). It is a decision-making model that uses paired comparisons to determine the most
significant factors that affect a decision [25]. In this case, the researcher wished to identify
and rank social media factors impacting mental health. This ranking will help in prioritizing
which aspects of social media use to manage at a personal level. The elements of social
media in this study are private chats, group chats, browsing posts, adverts, media sharing,
calls, likes and comments, and pages. The study undertakes a survey that asks respondents
to indicate how useful these social media features are to them and how each element may
lead to mental health problems.

3.2. Population, Sampling, and Survey Instrument

This study considered Saudi Arabia as the unit of study, while the study population
was Saudi youth aged between 18 and 35. The United Nations defines youth as persons
between 18 and 24. However, the researcher sought a more accommodating criterion
regarding respondent ages. The selection of young people as the target population was
motivated by the fact that 98.43% of them are on social media [9]. In addition, ref. [9]
also reports that 7,623,336 young people belong to this demographic. The computed
sample size from this population is 385 using Yamane’s formula [26]. Gender-wise, the
researcher allowed respondents to indicate whether they were male, female, or non-binary.
All respondents selected either the male or female category. Hence, the researcher analyzed
the results in this fashion. The sample for this study was selected using simple random
sampling on social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter. This sampling method
involves selecting participants randomly from the target population, which in this case
were young people in Saudi Arabia who use social media. This helped to ensure that the
sample was representative of the target population and that the responses were accurate
and reliable. To ensure the content validity of the questionnaire, a pre-test of the survey was
performed, since it is in the researcher’s best interest to have expert evaluations and reviews
of the comprehensibility and clarity of the used research instrument. Several questions
were altered, reworded, or eliminated in response to positive comments and ideas for small
modifications. The amended questionnaire was forwarded to the collaborating academics
for review and evaluation to confirm the instrument’s face validity. This questionnaire’s
question types were determined by their degree of relevance to each identified concept.
The Content Validity Index (CVI) was calculated to be 1, indicating that all three questions
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20, 2383 4 of 11

were relevant and appropriate for the study. This suggests that the questionnaire was valid
and that it measured the variables of interest in a reliable and accurate manner.
The researcher used social media platforms to reach a diverse and representative
sample of young people in the country. The social media platforms used in communication
with participants (personal and business) included Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and
Snapchat. The researcher sent out a post including all the details about the research, and a
link was included to direct the participants to the questionnaire page. The questionnaire
was hosted on Google Forms to facilitate distribution, and it was left open for one month
to allow respondents to respond at their convenience. The final questionnaire had a two-
part structure, including demographic questions and three main questions with selective
options for participants. Appendix A shows the list of questions asked to the respondents.

3.3. Analytical Hierarchical Process

The Analytical Hierarchical Process involves four primary steps, which are
1. Identifying decisions, options, and criteria;
2. Conducting pairwise comparisons;
3. Computing weights for the criteria;
4. Calculating utility values.

3.3.1. Identifying Decisions, Options, and Criteria

The decision is determining which social media features have the biggest effect on
increasing mental health problems. The options were the eight social media features,
namely private chats, group chats, browsing posts, adverts, media sharing, calls, likes and
comments, and pages. The criteria for determining which features are the most influential
were the importance of a feature to an individual, the time spent interacting with the
feature, and the recency of interaction.

3.3.2. Pairwise Comparison

Pairwise comparisons involve comparing two criteria simultaneously to build a square
n × n matrix, where n is the number of criteria. The comparison is structured in such a
way that the value entered in a cell represents the number of times one criterion is more
important relative to the other. Because the two criteria being compared are the same, the
relative value of each criterion is equal to one when they are compared to each other [25].
The maximum possible score is n, and larger numbers indicate that a criterion is becoming
essential. The pairwise comparison will compare time spent on a feature, recency in using
the feature, and the overall importance of the feature to the respondents.

3.3.3. Importance Weights

After populating the matrix, it is used to compute the importance weights. They signal
to an analyst the extent to which each criterion will affect their ultimate decision. The
researcher gave the biggest weight to the item with the most significant importance. The
study computed the geometric mean of the criteria to ensure objectivity in the computation
in the first step, as suggested by [27]. In the second step, the relative composition of the
criterion values was determined, which was used to determine their weights [28]. In order
to complete the procedure, the computation of the ratio of the value of each criterion to the
overall value is needed.

3.3.4. Calculating Utility Values

Computing the utility is the final step in the analytical hierarchal process. It involves
establishing the ‘utiles’ associated and multiplying them by their corresponding importance
scores [27]. The ‘utiles’ are obtained using respondents’ subjective evaluation of how each
feature instigates mental health challenges. ‘Utility’ is a quantitative value that indicates
how useful something is to an individual. This figure helps in selecting the most significant
option. It is possible to represent utility as a percentage. It is argued that a criterion’s
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20, 2383 5 of 11

usefulness increases as its advantages or benefits increase. Depending on the criterion, it is

conceivable that utility will be computed differently. The importance of the criteria selected
for investigation and the utility attached to the criterion were multiplied to show the utility
calculation for each criterion. The values for each criterion were added to determine the
total utility of each social media feature.

4. Results
4.1. Analysis of Demographic Characteristics
This section analyzes the age, gender, and occupations of the study participants. The
findings reveal that the most populous age group was that of members aged between 18 and
25, as they constituted 60.3% (232) of the study population. Male respondents accounted
for 55.3% (213) of the sampled participants. The most dominant group by occupation was
students, as they accounted for 41.8% (161) of the sampled participants. Table 1 provides
further details about the demographic characteristics of the respondents.

Table 1. Respondents’ demographic characteristics.

Demographics Frequency Percentage (%)

Gender
Male 213 55.3
Female 172 44.7
Age
18–25 232 60.3
26–30 114 29.6
31–35 39 10.1
Occupation
Student 161 41.8
Unemployed 138 35.8
Employed 86 22.3
Total 385 100%

4.2. Favorite Features of Respondents

The researcher first examined which of the selected social media features were favored
by the respondents. The findings suggested that likes, comments, and followers were the
most relevant aspects of social media that the respondents liked, obtaining a mean score
of 7.29/8.00. The least favorite feature was gaming, scoring a mean of 2.05/8.00. Table 2
shows the performance of the different features.

Table 2. Ranking the relevance of social media features to respondents.

Feature Mean Relevance

Likes, Comments, and Followers 7.29
Media Sharing and Consuming 7.16
Browsing Posts 6.33
Group Chats and Calls 4.80
Private Chats and Calls 3.98
Pages 3.11
Games 2.05
Adverts 1.26

4.3. Pairwise Comparison

The researcher established the criteria comparison matrix using the responses to
questions that asked participants to rank the factors influencing their sentiments on social
media features. The ranking was based on the mean score obtained from the 385 responses
regarding their criteria ranking. In this case, the highest ranked criteria by the respondents
scored higher values in Table 3. Evidence suggests that people decided which social media
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20, 2383 6 of 11

feature they valued mostly based on its entertainment value (value = 6) and less so based
on the feature’s privacy (value = 1).

Table 3. Criteria importance.

Key Feature Value

ENT Entertainment 6
INF Information 2
SOC Social Interaction 5
PRI Privacy 1
EST Esteem 4
COM Communication 3

The computation of matrix values in Table 4 was based on the values established in
Table 3 above. The basis of the values is the mean ranks of the criteria, as expressed by the
respondents. In this case, the matrix values indicated the number of times one criterion
was more important than the corresponding criterion [28]. For example, the highlighted
pair in Table 4 shows that esteem was two times more important that the corresponding
information criterion.

Table 4. Pairwise comparison matrix.

Ranks → 6 2 5 1 4 3
Ranks
ENT INF SOC PRI EST COM V W
↓
6 ENT 1.00 3.00 1.20 6.00 1.50 2.00 2.004 0.28571
2 INF 0.33 1.00 0.40 2.00 0.50 0.67 0.668 0.09524
5 SOC 0.83 2.50 1.00 5.00 1.25 1.67 1.670 0.23810
1 PRI 0.17 0.50 0.20 1.00 0.25 0.33 0.334 0.04762
4 EST 0.67 2.00 0.80 4.00 1.00 1.33 1.336 0.19048
3 COM 0.50 1.50 0.60 3.00 0.75 1.00 1.002 0.14286

4.4. Importance Weights

The first step involves the computation of the criteria’s geometric mean [28] to deter-
mine their influence on the final decision. In this case, it is the sixth root of the product of
the row elements in Table 4. Below is the basic formula used in computing the weights of
the criteria, assuming n criteria:
p
Vi = n Xi1 × Xi2 × · · · × Xin

where:
Vi : Geometric mean for criterion i;
Xi1 : Pairwise importance of criterion i relative to criterion 1;
Xi2 : Pairwise importance of criterion i relative to criterion 2;
Xin : Pairwise importance of criterion i relative to criterion n;
n: Number of criteria.
The second step involves finding the proportionate composition of the criteria values,
which will count as their weights [28]. The procedure requires the computation of the ratio
of each criterion’s value against the total value:

Vi
Wi =
∑nj=1 Vj

6
∑ Vj = 7.014
j =1
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20, 2383 7 of 11

where:
Wi : Weights for criterion i.

4.5. Computing Utility Values

The researcher computed the feature utiles by first ranking their respective mean
responses. The findings in Table 5 show that respondents thought that likes, comments,
and followers on social media would often cause people’s mental health problems. Other
similarly high-risk features are browsing posts and adverts.

Table 5. Utility values.

Feature Utiles
Private Chats and Calls 2.26
Group Chats and Calls 3.48
Browsing Posts 7.11
Games 1.25
Media Sharing and Consuming 3.55
Adverts 5.75
Likes, Comments, and Followers 7.71
Pages 4.89

4.6. Comparing Social Media’s Effects on Mental Health

This study computed the total utility as the product of the utiles (feature strengths), im-
portance weights (criteria weights), and how favored the features were by the respondents
(relevance). In Table 6, each feature’s strength is multiplied by the criteria weights to obtain
the cell values. The row values are then added and multiplied by a feature’s importance to
determine the total utility. The total utility is obtained using the following formula:
n
TUi = ∑ Wi × UVj × MRi
j =1

where:
TUi : Total Utility for criterion i;
Wi : Weights for criterion i;
UVj = Utility Value for feature j;
MRi : Mean Relevance for criterion i;
i from 1 to 8, j from 1 to 6.

Table 6. Estimating the effect of social media features on mental health problems.

Criterion Weights
0.29 0.10 0.24 0.05 0.19 0.14
Mean Total
ENT INF SOC PRI EST COM
Relevance Utility
7.71 LCF 2.20 0.73 1.84 0.37 1.47 1.10 7.29 56.24416
7.11 BRP 2.03 0.68 1.69 0.34 1.35 1.02 6.33 45.03454
3.55 MDS 1.01 0.34 0.84 0.17 0.68 0.51 7.16 25.39835
Feature
3.48 GCC 1.00 0.33 0.83 0.17 0.66 0.50 4.80 16.72801
Strength
4.89 PGS 1.40 0.47 1.16 0.23 0.93 0.70 3.11 15.20282
(Utility Value)
2.26 PCC 0.65 0.22 0.54 0.11 0.43 0.32 3.98 9.024443
5.75 ADV 1.64 0.55 1.37 0.27 1.09 0.82 1.26 7.241052
1.25 GMS 0.36 0.12 0.30 0.06 0.24 0.18 2.05 2.561511
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20, 2383 8 of 11

The findings suggest that the feature with the most significant negative effect on
mental health is ‘likes, comments, and followers.’ This feature scored a total utility of
56.24. On the other hand, the feature with the least significant negative effect on mental
health is ‘social media games’. This study found the feature to have a total utility of 2.56.
While the respondents had opined in Table 3 that adverts substantially contribute to mental
instability, the criteria weights for this feature were too low to significantly impact the
feature’s total utility.

5. Discussion
In this study, the researcher found that social media has a significant negative impact
on the mental health of Saudi Arabian youth. The feature that had the greatest impact was
likes, comments, and followers, with a utility value of 56.24. This suggests that individuals
who are seeking validation and social esteem through social media may be more prone
to experiencing stress, depression, and anxiety. Browsing posts and media sharing were
also identified as significant features that negatively impact mental health, with utility
values of 45.03 and 25.40, respectively. These findings align with previous research that
has identified the presence of influencers on social media as a potential source of stress
and depression for regular users who may feel pressure to emulate these individuals [18].
Additionally, excessive exposure to social media videos has been linked to negative mental
health outcomes [20].
On the other hand, this study found that social media games had the least impact on
mental health, with a utility value of only 2.05. This finding differs from previous research
that has identified games on social media as highly addictive and potentially harmful to
mental health [21]. However, it is important to note that this study only compared the
negative impact of different social media features on mental health, and it is possible that
social media games may have a greater impact when studied in isolation. These findings
highlight the need for caution in the use of social media, particularly among young people
in Saudi Arabia. While social media can provide a sense of connection and support, it is
important to be aware of its potential negative impacts on mental health. In light of these
findings, it may be beneficial for individuals to set limits on their social media use and
prioritize activities that promote mental wellbeing, such as physical exercise and social
interaction with friends and family.
One potential implication of these findings is the need for greater education and
awareness about the potential dangers of social media. This could involve educating
people about the importance of finding validation from sources other than social media,
as well as helping people to develop healthy habits when it comes to their social media
use. This could involve setting limits on the amount of time spent on social media, being
selective about the content that is consumed, and finding ways to disconnect from social
media when necessary. Overall, these findings highlight the need for caution when using
social media, particularly for youth in Saudi Arabia. While social media can be a useful tool
for communication and connection, it is important to be mindful of the potential negative
effects on mental health. It may be helpful for individuals to limit the attention they
pay to certain features, such as likes, comments, and followers, and to engage in passive
rather than active consumption of media. Further research is needed to understand the
specific mechanisms by which social media impacts mental health and to identify effective
interventions to mitigate negative effects.
There are several potential limitations to this study that should be considered when
interpreting the results. First, the sample size of 385 participants may not be representative
of the larger population of Saudi Arabian youth. Additionally, the self-reported nature
of the data may be subject to bias, as individuals may not accurately recall or report their
social media habits. Finally, the cross-sectional design of the study means that it is not
possible to establish cause-and-effect relationships between social media use and mental
health. Another limitation of this study is that the definition of “youth” is not explicitly
stated. It is possible that the experiences and activities of respondents aged 18 and those
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20, 2383 9 of 11

aged 35 may differ significantly. Additionally, the study did not explicitly consider the
potential impact of gender on the relationship between social media use and mental health.
Future research should aim to further explore these demographic variables in order to
better understand the specific effects of social media on mental health among different
populations. Such investigations should consider using larger and more diverse samples,
as well as more robust research designs to further explore the relationship between social
media and mental health.

6. Conclusions
The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of social media on mental
health among young people. Social media has become an integral part of modern society,
with platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram offering a range of features
including messaging, media sharing, and gaming. However, there is growing concern that
the use of social media may have negative effects on mental health, particularly among
young people who are more likely to use these platforms extensively. The study aimed
to identify the specific features of social media that have the greatest impact on mental
health and to examine the underlying reasons for these effects. To achieve these objectives,
the study used AHP to assess the relevance and importance of eight social media features
to 385 respondents aged between 18 and 35. The findings showed that likes, comments,
and followers were the most relevant features to respondents, while gaming was the
least favorite feature. In terms of the criteria influencing the respondents’ sentiments,
entertainment was the most important factor, while privacy was the least important. The
study concludes that social media can have both positive and negative effects on mental
health, depending on how it is used and the specific features that are engaged with. It is
therefore important for young people to be aware of the potential risks and to use social
media in a balanced and responsible manner.

Funding: This research received no external funding.

Institutional Review Board Statement: Not applicable.
Informed Consent Statement: Not applicable.
Data Availability Statement: The data presented in this study are available on request from the
corresponding author.
Conflicts of Interest: The author declares no conflict of interest.

Appendix A. List of Questions Asked to the Respondents

- Private Chats and Calls

Question 1: Rank the - Group Chats and Calls
importance of the following - Browsing Posts
social media features as they - Games
occur to you as (1) for the least - Media Sharing
important and (8) for the - Adverts
most important. - Likes and Comments
- Pages

Question 2: How do you - Entertainment Value (Such as from watching videos and
determine the importance of playing games)
social media features to you? - Information Value (Such as from viewing—people’s and
Rank how the following page updates and adverts)
factors influence your - Social Interaction Value (Such as engaging in group chats)
sentiments as (1) for least - Privacy Value (Such as engaging in private chats)
significant Determinant and - Esteem Value (Such as followership, likes, and
(6) for the most significant comments received)
Determinant. - Communication Value (Such as private chats)
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20, 2383 10 of 11

- Private Chats and Calls

Question 3: On a scale of 1 to - Group Chats and Calls
8, rate the effect of the below - Browsing Posts
social media features in - Games
inducing mental health issues - Media Sharing
as (1) for Smallest Effect and - Adverts
(8) for Biggest Effect - Likes and Comments
- Pages

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