A new survey led by researchers from the Center for Quantitative Health at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School has analyzed the association between self-reported social media use and irritability among US adults. Data suggests that frequent social media use, especially among active posters, was correlated with higher levels of irritability.

Previous research on social media use has demonstrated connections to increased depressive symptoms, but how much social media engagement is associated with irritability or its influence on depression and anxiety has remained unclear.

Symptom Measurements

The survey collected sociodemographic data, self-reported social media usage, and measures of irritability from 42,597 participants (mean age of 46 years, with 58.5% identifying as women, 40.4% as men, and 1.1% as nonbinary). The Brief Irritability Test (BITe), was used, which consists of five statements evaluating irritability symptoms over the previous two weeks. Scores range from 5 to 30, with higher scores indicating higher levels of irritability. The analysis also included depression and anxiety metrics to account for overlapping psychological symptoms.

Social Media Assessment

Social media use was categorized based on frequency: never, less than once per week, once per week, several times per week, once per day, several times per day, or most of the day. Platforms analyzed included Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter/X. Frequency of active posting, political engagement, and political affiliation were also examined to identify potential confounding factors.

Results

• Frequent social media use correlated with higher irritability scores, even after adjusting for anxiety and depression.
• Participants using social media most of the day scored higher on the BITe in unadjusted models. After adjusting for anxiety and depression, the increase remained significant.
• Platform-specific analyses revealed a dose-response relationship between posting frequency and irritability. Posting multiple times per day was associated with the highest irritability levels across all platforms, with TikTok users showing the largest increase.
• High social media engagement levels, particularly frequent posting, were associated with greater irritability in US adults. Although the study could not establish direct causation, findings suggest a potential feedback loop relationship, where irritability may both influence a desire to engage and increase irritation from social media use.

Conclusion

Researchers suggest that there is an association between high levels of social media use, particularly posting on social media, and irritability among US adults. The implications of this irritability and the potential for interventions to address this association require additional investigation.

Source: Roy H. Perlis et al, Irritability and Social Media Use in US Adults, JAMA Network Open (2025). DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.52807