The DOI matches its Crossref record; 38 of the 40 references it cites were found in a registry or an index; 9 of the 17 sources its claims cite were checked for support.
Associations Between Time Spent Using Social Media and Internalizing and Externalizing Problems Among US Youth.
Open accessAbstract
To assess whether time spent using social media per day is prospectively associated with internalizing and externalizing problems among adolescents.
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Claims the paper makes
15 Own result · 9 Own method · 5 Own interpretation · 3 Supported · 3 Partly supported · 3 No full text of the sources · 1 Supported so far · 1 Sources not found · 1 Not checked yet · 1 No basis given · accuracy not yet measured
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“In unadjusted analyses, spending more than 30 minutes of time on social media, compared with no use, was associated with increased risk of internalizing problems alone (Յ30 minutes: relative risk ratio [RRR], 1.30; 95% CI, 0.94-1.78;>30 minutes to Յ3 hours: RRR, 1.89; 95% CI, 1.36-2.64;>3 to Յ6 hours: RRR, 2.47; 95% CI, 1.74-3.49;>6 hours: RRR, 2.83; 95% CI, 1.88-4.26)”
§ Associations Between Time Spent Using Social Media and Internalizing and Externalizing Problems Among US Youth > Abstract
plaincorrelational- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: unclear — It is unclear whether the paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“We observed no statistically significant interaction between social media use and sex for internalizing (F 4,96 = 0.84, P = .50),externalizing (F 4,96 = 0.32, P = .86),or comorbid problems (F 4,96 = 0.73, P = .57).”
§ Associations Between Time Spent Using Social Media and Internalizing and Externalizing Problems Among US Youth > Association Between Social Media Use and Mental Health Problems
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: unclear — It is unclear whether the paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“We observed a significant linear trend in the coefficients for both internalizing (F 1,99 = 8.86, P = .004)”
§ Associations Between Time Spent Using Social Media and Internalizing and Externalizing Problems Among US Youth > Association Between Social Media Use and Mental Health Problems
plaincorrelational- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“and comorbid internalizing and externalizing problems (>3 to Յ6 hours: RRR, 2.01; 95% CI, 1.51-2.66;>6 hours: RRR, 2.44; 95% CI, 1.73-3.43)”
§ Associations Between Time Spent Using Social Media and Internalizing and Externalizing Problems Among US Youth > Abstract
plaincorrelational- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“In contrast, we observed no association for externalizing problems (F 1,99 = 2.25, P = .14).”
§ Associations Between Time Spent Using Social Media and Internalizing and Externalizing Problems Among US Youth > Association Between Social Media Use and Mental Health Problems
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“but not externalizing problems alone.”
§ Associations Between Time Spent Using Social Media and Internalizing and Externalizing Problems Among US Youth > Abstract
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Compared with adolescents who did not use social media, the use of social media for more than 30 minutes per day was associated with greater risk of internalizing problems alone (≤30 RRR, 1.37; 95% CI, 0.98-1.92;>3 to ≤6 hours: RRR, 1.22; 95% CI, 0.86-1.72;>6 hours: RRR, 1.40; 95% CI, 0.90-2.19)(Table 2).”
§ Associations Between Time Spent Using Social Media and Internalizing and Externalizing Problems Among US Youth > Association Between Social Media Use and Mental Health Problems
plaincorrelational- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“On the basis of our adjusted model assuming no confounding, 0.8% to 18.9% of internalizing problems and 0.8% to 15.3% of externalizing problems could be prevented if participants had instead used less social media.”
§ Associations Between Time Spent Using Social Media and Internalizing and Externalizing Problems Among US Youth > Association Between Social Media Use and Mental Health Problems
hedgeddirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
- The authors state this as an assumption: A causal effect of social media use on mental health problems.
- The authors state this as an assumption: No confounding in the PAF analysis.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“and comorbid internalizing and externalizing problems (Յ30 minutes: RRR, 1.39; 95% CI, 1.06-1.82;>30 minutes to Յ3 hours: RRR, 2.34; 95% CI, 1.83-3.00;>3 to Յ6 hours: RRR, 3.15; 95% CI, 2.43-4.09;>6 hours: RRR, 4.29; 95% CI, 3.22-5.73)”
§ Associations Between Time Spent Using Social Media and Internalizing and Externalizing Problems Among US Youth > Abstract
plaincorrelational- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: unclear — It is unclear whether the paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“associations with externalizing problems were inconsistent.”
§ Associations Between Time Spent Using Social Media and Internalizing and Externalizing Problems Among US Youth > Abstract
plaincorrelational- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: unclear — It is unclear whether the paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“This study suggests that increased time spent on social media may be a risk factor for internalizing problems in adolescents.”
§ Associations Between Time Spent Using Social Media and Internalizing and Externalizing Problems Among US Youth > Conclusions
hedgedconditional- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Adolescents who spend more than 3 hours per day using social media may be at heightened risk for mental health problems, particularly internalizing problems.”
§ Associations Between Time Spent Using Social Media and Internalizing and Externalizing Problems Among US Youth > Abstract
hedgedconditional- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“This finding suggests that the association of social media use with comorbid problems occurs primarily because of the association of social media with internalizing problems and the high comorbidity of internalizing and externalizing problems.”
§ Associations Between Time Spent Using Social Media and Internalizing and Externalizing Problems Among US Youth > Discussion
hedgeddirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
In the paper
“These cut points have been validated for use when making treatment decisions 18”
§ Associations Between Time Spent Using Social Media and Internalizing and Externalizing Problems Among US Youth > Measures
What the sources say
- Not checked — no full text of the sourcecites [18] 18. Dennis ML, Chan YF, Funk RR. Development and validation of the GAIN Short Screener (GSS) for internalizing, externalizing and substance use disorders and crime/violence problems among adolescents and adults. Am J Addict. 2006;15(suppl 1):80-91. doi:10.1080/10550490601006055 source
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: unclear — It is unclear whether the paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Our study find-ings suggest a population-level association between social media use and mental health problems”
§ Associations Between Time Spent Using Social Media and Internalizing and Externalizing Problems Among US Youth > Discussion
hedgedcorrelational- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
None of the sources cited for this claim have been checked yet.
In the paper
“Some studies also suggest an association between social media use and externalizing problems, such as bullying and attention problems.8,9”
§ Associations Between Time Spent Using Social Media and Internalizing and Externalizing Problems Among US Youth > F
What the sources say
- Not matchedcites [8] 8. Ra CK, Cho J, Stone MD, et al. Association of digital media use with subsequent symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder among adolescents. JAMA. 2018;320(3):255-263. doi:10. 1001/jama.2018.8931
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
- Not checked — no full text of the sourcecites [9] 9. Galica VL, Vannucci A, Flannery KM, Ohannessian CM. Social media use and conduct problems in emerging adults. Cyberpsychol Behav Soc Netw. 2017;20(7):448-452. doi:10.1089/cyber. 2017.0068 source
hedgedcorrelational- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: unclear — It is unclear whether the paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
- Not matched
- It may state two separate claims as one. 13
- Probably not a substantial claim. 19
- The quote only partly states this claim. 2
The sources with a verdict support this claim; the rest weren’t checked yet, have no full text we could read, or their verdicts aren’t rated yet.
In the paper
“A limitation of our study is that we measured overall time spent on social media; prior studies [30][31][32] have found that social media use may be positively or negatively associated with mental health depending on which platforms are used and how.”
§ Associations Between Time Spent Using Social Media and Internalizing and Externalizing Problems Among US Youth > Discussion
What the sources say
- Supportedcites [30] 30. Seabrook EM, Kern ML, Rickard NS. Social networking sites, depression, and anxiety: a systematic review. JMIR Ment Health. 2016;3(4): e50. doi:10.2196/mental.5842 source
The citation supports the prior-research point, not the citing authors’ description of their own measurement limitation. In Results (page unavailable), the review reports that total time spent on social networking sites had mixed associations with depression and anxiety, while findings about Facebook and Instagram varied with patterns of use and social comparison. (LLM, conf=0.88)
- Supportedcites [31] 31. Baker DA, Algorta GP. The relationship between online social networking and depression: a systematic review of quantitative studies. Cyberpsychol Behav Soc Netw. 2016;19(11):638-648. doi:10.1089/cyber.2016.0206 source
The citing authors describe their own measurement limitation; they cite this review for the point that associations with mental health can vary by platform and manner of use. The review says the nature of use may matter more than duration (p. 9), describes potentially detrimental and beneficial associations, and cautions against generalizing across platforms (p. 14). (LLM, conf=0.90)
- Not checked — no full text of the sourcecites [32] 32. Ilakkuvan V, Johnson A, Villanti AC, Evans WD, Turner M. Patterns of social media use and their relationship to health risks among young adults. J Adolesc Health. 2019;64(2):158-164. doi:10.1016/j. jadohealth.2018.06.025 source
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: unclear — It is unclear whether the paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
- Supported
The cited sources support only part of this claim — read each source’s verdict below.
In the paper
“Numerous cross-sectional studies and a limited number of longitudinal studies suggest that high levels of social media use are associated with internalizing problems, including depressive and anxiety symptoms, [3][4][5][6] although results are not entirely consistent.7”
§ Associations Between Time Spent Using Social Media and Internalizing and Externalizing Problems Among US Youth > F
What the sources say
- Partly supportedcites [3] 3. Zink J, Belcher BR, Kechter A, Stone MD, Leventhal AM. Reciprocal associations between screen time and emotional disorder symptoms during adolescence. Prev Med Rep. 2019;13:281-288. doi:10.1016/j.pmedr.2019.01.014 sourceExperimental — accuracy not yet measured
Split into 2 atoms — 0 confirmed, 2 partially supported, 0 disputed, 0 misattributed, 0 unverifiable. Expand the claim to see per-atom verdicts.
- Partly supportedcites [4] 4. McCrae N, Gettings S, Purssell E. Social media and depressive symptoms in childhood and adolescence: a systematic review. Adoles Res Rev. 2017;2(4):315-330. doi:10.1007/s40894-017-0053- 4 sourceExperimental — accuracy not yet measured
The review reports an association between social media use and depressive symptoms, drawing on predominantly cross-sectional studies and some short longitudinal studies (p. 1); its cross-sectional and longitudinal results also vary (pp. 7–8). It does not establish a general association between high levels of social media use and anxiety symptoms: the anxiety finding on p. 8 concerns participants with poorer friendships who used the internet for purposes other than communication. (LLM, conf=0.86)
- Not checked — no full text of the sourcecites [5] 5. Primack BA, Swanier B, Georgiopoulos AM, Land SR, Fine MJ. Association between media use in adolescence and depression in young adulthood: a longitudinal study. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2009;66 (2):181-188. doi:10.1001/archgenpsychiatry.2008.532 source
hedgedcorrelational- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
- Partly supported
The cited sources support only part of this claim — read each source’s verdict below.
In the paper
“We used data from the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) study, which is a nationally representative, longitudinal cohort of adolescents.15”
§ Associations Between Time Spent Using Social Media and Internalizing and Externalizing Problems Among US Youth > F
What the sources say
- Partly supportedcites [15] 15. Hyland A, Ambrose BK, Conway KP, et al. Design and methods of the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study. Tob Control. 2017;26(4):371-378. doi:10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2016- 052934 sourceExperimental — accuracy not yet measured
The PATH Study Design Features section describes PATH as a national longitudinal cohort with a nationally representative sample that includes 13,651 youths aged 12–17. The claim captures its adolescent participants but describes the study as a cohort of adolescents, omitting the 32,320 adults who were also in the cohort. (LLM, conf=0.86)
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
- Partly supported
Every source the paper cites for this claim was checked and supports it.
In the paper
“Furthermore, a previous study 4 produced mixed results regarding the possible moderating effect of sex.”
§ Associations Between Time Spent Using Social Media and Internalizing and Externalizing Problems Among US Youth > F
What the sources say
- Supportedcites [4] 4. McCrae N, Gettings S, Purssell E. Social media and depressive symptoms in childhood and adolescence: a systematic review. Adoles Res Rev. 2017;2(4):315-330. doi:10.1007/s40894-017-0053- 4 source
The Gender section (p. 8) reports mixed findings on whether the relationship between social media use and depressive symptoms differs by sex: several studies found differences, others found none, and two found girls less likely than boys to show depressive symptoms. (LLM, conf=0.91)
hedged- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: fails — The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Supported
The cited sources support only part of this claim — read each source’s verdict below.
In the paper
“Some researchers have raised concerns that studies on technology use and well-being are limited by publication bias.36 We believe that this is a legitimate concern given that many studies on this topic, including the present study, are secondary analyses of data not collected for the purpose of studying social media.36”
§ Associations Between Time Spent Using Social Media and Internalizing and Externalizing Problems Among US Youth > Discussion
What the sources say
- Partly supportedcites [36] 36. Orben A, Przybylski AK. The association between adolescent well-being and digital technology use. Nat Hum Behav. 2019;3(2):173-182. doi:10.1038/s41562-018-0506-1 sourceExperimental — accuracy not yet measured
The paper describes secondary analyses of large-scale social datasets and warns that researchers can selectively report analytical paths (p. 3); it also says small effects are easily publishable (p. 4). These passages support a concern about biased reporting, but the paper does not specifically identify publication bias across studies as the limitation. (LLM, conf=0.79)
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: fails — It may be too vague to check against evidence.
- Load-bearing: fails — The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. It may be too vague to check against evidence. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Partly supported
Every source the paper cites for this claim was checked and supports it.
In the paper
“To ensure that we did not improperly adjust for mediating variables, 22 we used covariates measured at wave 1 instead of wave 2.”
§ Associations Between Time Spent Using Social Media and Internalizing and Externalizing Problems Among US Youth > Exposure (Wave 2)
What the sources say
- Supportedcites [22] 22. Schisterman EF, Cole SR, Platt RW. Overadjustment bias and unnecessary adjustment in epidemiologic studies. Epidemiology. 2009;20 (4):488-495. doi:10.1097/EDE.0b013e3181a819a1 source
The Conclusion states that controlling for an intermediate variable on the exposure-to-outcome path can introduce overadjustment bias and advises against controlling for factors affected by exposure. The choice to use wave 1 rather than wave 2 covariates is the citing authors’ own method, not a finding attributed to this source. (LLM, conf=0.91)
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim.
- Supported
Every source the paper cites for this claim was checked and supports it.
In the paper
“many studies on this topic, including the present study, are secondary analyses of data not collected for the purpose of studying social media.36”
§ Associations Between Time Spent Using Social Media and Internalizing and Externalizing Problems Among US Youth > Discussion
What the sources say
- Supportedcites [36] 36. Orben A, Przybylski AK. The association between adolescent well-being and digital technology use. Nat Hum Behav. 2019;3(2):173-182. doi:10.1038/s41562-018-0506-1 source
The introduction (p. 2) says household panel surveys and large-scale social datasets added digital-technology measures to surveys already assessing well-being, and that studies analysed those datasets. The authors also describe their own analysis of three existing large-scale datasets (p. 4). This supports the point about secondary analyses of data not originally collected to study social media; the citing authors’ reference to their own study is not a claim this source must establish. (LLM, conf=0.88)
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: fails — The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Supported
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“During wave 3, of the sample of 6595 adolescents, 611 (9.1%) reported internalizing problems alone, 885 (14.0%) reported externalizing problems alone, 1169 (17.7%) reported comorbid internalizing and externalizing problems, and the remaining 3930 (59.3%) reported no or low problems.”
§ Associations Between Time Spent Using Social Media and Internalizing and Externalizing Problems Among US Youth > Sample Characteristics
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: fails — The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it. It may state two separate claims as one.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“During wave 2, a total of 1125 adolescents (16.8%) reported no social media use, 2082 (31.8%) reported 30 minutes or less, 2000 (30.7%) reported more than 30 minutes to 3 hours or more, 817 (12.3%) reported more than 3 hours to 6 hours or less, and 571 (8.4%) reported more than 6 hours of use per day.”
§ Associations Between Time Spent Using Social Media and Internalizing and Externalizing Problems Among US Youth > Sample Characteristics
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: fails — The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it. It may state two separate claims as one.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“and comorbid problems (F 1,99 = 35.16,P < .001)”
§ Associations Between Time Spent Using Social Media and Internalizing and Externalizing Problems Among US Youth > Association Between Social Media Use and Mental Health Problems
plaincorrelational- Asserted: fails — The authors may not put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: fails — The paper may give no reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. The authors may not put it forward as true. The paper may give no reason why it holds. The quote only partly states this claim.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“In fact, the PAFs obtained in our study suggest that if adolescents using social media for more than 30 minutes per day had instead used it for 30 minutes or less, there would have been 9.4% fewer high internalizing problem cases and 7.3% fewer high externalizing problem cases.”
§ Associations Between Time Spent Using Social Media and Internalizing and Externalizing Problems Among US Youth > Discussion
hedgeddirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
- The authors state this as an assumption: A causal effect of social media use on mental health problems.
- The authors state this as an assumption: No confounding in the PAF analysis.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“In adjusted analyses, use of social media for more than 3 hours per day compared with no use remained significantly associated with internalizing problems alone (>3 to Յ6 hours: RRR, 1.60; 95% CI, 1.11-2.31;>6 hours: RRR, 1.78; 95% CI, 1.15-2.77)”
§ Associations Between Time Spent Using Social Media and Internalizing and Externalizing Problems Among US Youth > Abstract
plaincorrelational- Asserted: unclear — It is unclear whether the authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: unclear — It is unclear why the paper says it holds.
The quote only partly states this claim.
What the paper did — it cites no source for this, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Sixth, it remains possible that mental health problems are prospectively associated with social media use, but we could not examine this in the present study because of data limitations.”
§ Associations Between Time Spent Using Social Media and Internalizing and Externalizing Problems Among US Youth > Limitations
hedgedcorrelational- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: fails — The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it. It may state two separate claims as one.
What the paper did — it cites no source for this, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Data for analyses were weighted to be representative of 12to 15-year-old adolescents living in the United States in 2013 to 2014.”
§ Associations Between Time Spent Using Social Media and Internalizing and Externalizing Problems Among US Youth > Statistical Analysis
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim.
What the paper did — it cites no source for this, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“First, adolescents self-reported the exposure and outcome, which may inflate the observed associations.”
§ Associations Between Time Spent Using Social Media and Internalizing and Externalizing Problems Among US Youth > Limitations
hedgedconditional- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: fails — The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Fourth, social media use continues to change rapidly over time; although our data were collected relatively recently, they may not reflect current trends.”
§ Associations Between Time Spent Using Social Media and Internalizing and Externalizing Problems Among US Youth > Limitations
hedged- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: fails — The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it. It may state two separate claims as one.
In the paper
“Unlike a prior study, 16 we adjusted for mental health problems measured before the exposure, which is critical for reducing the influence of reverse causality.”
- Also stated in: § Discussion · hedged
“This association remained significant after adjusting for demographics, past alcohol and marijuana use, and, most importantly, a history of mental health problems, which mitigates the possibility that reverse causality explains these findings.”
§ Associations Between Time Spent Using Social Media and Internalizing and Externalizing Problems Among US Youth > F
What the sources say
- Not checked — no full text of the sourcecites [16] 16. VanderWeele TJ, Jackson JW, Li S. Causal inference and longitudinal data: a case study of religion and mental health. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol. 2016;51(11):1457-1466. doi:10.1007/ s00127-016-1281-9 source
plaindirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
- Also stated in: § Discussion · hedged
The paper states this without a source or data behind it here, so there is nothing to check it against. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“An increasing body of literature suggests that social media use is associated with mental health problems in adolescence.”
§ Associations Between Time Spent Using Social Media and Internalizing and Externalizing Problems Among US Youth > F
hedgedcorrelational- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim.
What the paper did — it cites no source for this, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Of these, 1000 adolescents (13.2%) were excluded because they were missing data on at least 1 variable required for this analysis; the remaining 6595 adolescents comprised the analytic sample (eFigure in the Supplement).”
§ Associations Between Time Spent Using Social Media and Internalizing and Externalizing Problems Among US Youth > Participants
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. It may state two separate claims as one.
What the paper did — it cites no source for this, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Fifth, although our study design mitigates the possibility of reverse causality, some residual confounding from imprecise measurement of prior mental health problems may have been present.”
§ Associations Between Time Spent Using Social Media and Internalizing and Externalizing Problems Among US Youth > Limitations
hedged- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: unclear — It is unclear whether the paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
What the paper did — it cites no source for this, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Third, the validity of self-reported time spent on social media in the PATH study is unknown.”
§ Associations Between Time Spent Using Social Media and Internalizing and Externalizing Problems Among US Youth > Limitations
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: fails — The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
What the paper did — it cites no source for this, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Results of analyses using multiple imputation methods did not differ appreciably from the main analyses (eTable 2 in the Supplement).”
§ Associations Between Time Spent Using Social Media and Internalizing and Externalizing Problems Among US Youth > Association Between Social Media Use and Mental Health Problems
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: fails — The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
What the paper did — it cites no source for this, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Seventh, it is possible that the observed associations were an artifact of unmeasured confounding.”
§ Associations Between Time Spent Using Social Media and Internalizing and Externalizing Problems Among US Youth > Limitations
hedged- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: fails — The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
In the paper
“The weighted response rate for adolescents during wave 1 was 78.4%, and the weighted retention rate during wave 3 was 83.3%.17”
§ Associations Between Time Spent Using Social Media and Internalizing and Externalizing Problems Among US Youth > Participants
What the sources say
- Not matchedcites [17] 17. US Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Drug Abuse, Food and Drug Administration Center for Tobacco Products. Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study. Ann Arbor, MI: PATH; 2017.
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: fails — The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it. It may state two separate claims as one.
- Not matched
What the paper did — it cites no source for this, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Second, we measured mental health problems with a self-report questionnaire rather than a diagnostic interview.”
§ Associations Between Time Spent Using Social Media and Internalizing and Externalizing Problems Among US Youth > Limitations
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: fails — The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
In the paper
“The GAIN-SS is a screening measure intended to identify a probable mental health disorder and assess symptom severity; it has been validated in adolescents 19”
§ Associations Between Time Spent Using Social Media and Internalizing and Externalizing Problems Among US Youth > Measures
What the sources say
- Not checked — no full text of the sourcecites [19] 19. McDonell MG, Comtois KA, Voss WD, Morgan AH, Ries RK. Global Appraisal of Individual Needs Short Screener (GSS): psychometric properties and performance as a screening measure in adolescents. Am J Drug Alcohol Abuse. 2009;35(3): 157-160. doi:10.1080/00952990902825421 source
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. It may state two separate claims as one.
The authors state this as an assumption.
A causal effect of social media use on mental health problems.
“assuming a causal effect of social media use and no confounding-both strong assumptions.”
The authors state this as an assumption.
No confounding in the PAF analysis.
“On the basis of our adjusted model assuming no confounding”
“assuming a causal effect of social media use and no confounding-both strong assumptions.”
The paper relies on this without support.
Evidence of the association between social media use and mental health problems in nationally representative samples is scarce, and little is known about whether reducing time spent on social media might influence the prevalence of mental health problems at a national level.
“However, evidence of this association in nationally representative samples is scarce, and little is known about whether reducing time spent on social media might influence the prevalence of mental health problems at a national level.”
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
The source backs part of the claim, not all of it — or backs it for a different population, condition or comparison.
In the citing paper
“For instance, results from studies with shorter follow-up periods and younger samples [17,18] suggest that the impact of social media on mental health may have a stronger influence earlier in adolescence, potentially decreasing as individuals grow older.”
From Long-Term Consequences of Time Spent on Social Media in Adolescence on Mental Health in Young Adulthood: A Cohort Study From Sweden. (2026) · cites this paper as [18]
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe cited source says what the claim attributes to it.
In the citing paper
“Among a cohort of 6,595 U.S. adolescents, Riehm et al. (2019) found that although social media use is associated with increased risk of comorbid internalizing and externalizing problems, it shares no association with externalizing symptoms alone.”
From Screen Media Overuse and Associated Physical, Cognitive, and Emotional/Behavioral Outcomes in Children and Adolescents: An Integrative Review (2022) · cites this paper as Riehm et al., 2019
The cited source says what the claim attributes to it.
In the citing paper
“However, other studies have reported prospective associations between social media use and mental health problems [17–19].”
From Long-Term Consequences of Time Spent on Social Media in Adolescence on Mental Health in Young Adulthood: A Cohort Study From Sweden. (2026) · cites this paper as [18]
The cited source says what the claim attributes to it.
In the citing paper
“Research also suggests that adolescents who spend excessive time on social media (more than three hours per day) are significantly more likely to experience mental health issues, particularly increased symptoms of anxiety and depression [4].”
From The Impact of Social Media & Technology on Child and Adolescent Mental Health (2025) · cites this paper as [4]
In the citing paper
“Research has shown that safe storage practices (eg, keeping guns in a safe or a lockbox) are associated with fewer firearm suicide attempts among adolescents at risk for suicide.25”
From Trends in the Incidence and Lethality of Suicidal Acts in the United States, 2006 to 2015 (2020) · cites this paper as [25]
In the citing paper
“Riehm et al prospectively noted that adolescent social media use is associated with increased risk of comorbid internalizing and externalizing problems, internalizing problems alone but not externalizing problems alone.36”
From Association of Physical Activity, Sports, and Screen Time With Adolescent Behaviors in Youth Who Visit the Pediatric Emergency Department (2022) · cites this paper as [36]
In the citing paper
“In unadjusted models, the authors found that those using social media for more than 30 min per day were more likely to experience internalising problems compared to those not using social media.”
From The relationship between screen time and mental health in young people: A systematic review of longitudinal studies (2021) · cites this paper as Riehm et al., 2019
In the citing paper
“After adjusting for sex, age, race, parental education level, BMI, self-reported lifetime marijuana use and alcohol use, and lifetime internalising and externalising problems, social media use for over three hours per day was positively associated with internalising problems.”
From The relationship between screen time and mental health in young people: A systematic review of longitudinal studies (2021) · cites this paper as Riehm et al., 2019
Self-check
Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.
Each contradiction between two passages listed here was confirmed by an independent check.
Rated minor: it would not touch a result — a value no result rests on, a p-value that stays on the same side of the significance level, or a conflict that is clerical, resolved elsewhere in the paper, or outside its own findings.
In the paper
§ Associations Between Time Spent Using Social Media and Internalizing and Externalizing Problems Among US Youth > Association Between Social Media Use and Mental Health Problems
“Compared with adolescents who did not use social media, the use of social media for more than 30 minutes per day was associated with greater risk of internalizing problems alone (≤30 RRR, 1.37; 95% CI, 0.98-1.92;>3 to ≤6 hours: RRR, 1.22; 95% CI, 0.86-1.72;>6 hours: RRR, 1.40; 95% CI, 0.90-2.19)(Table 2).”
§ Associations Between Time Spent Using Social Media and Internalizing and Externalizing Problems Among US Youth > Conclusions
“| >3 to ≤6 h | 2.47 (1.74-3.49) | 1.60 (1.11-2.31) | 1.36 (0.97-1.90) | 1.22 (0.86-1.72) | 3.15 (2.43-4.09) | 2.01 (1.51-2.66) | | >6 h | 2.83 (1.88-4.26) | 1.78 (1.15-2.77) | 1.59 (1.07-2.37) | 1.40 (0.90-2.19) | 4.29 (3.22-5.73) | 2.44 (1.73-3.43) |”
Citations
Cites
Overadjustment bias and unnecessary adjustment in epidemiologic studies.
Schisterman, E. F., Cole, S. R., & Platt, R. W. (2009) · Epidemiology · doi:10.1097/ede.0b013e3181a819a1 · Cited by 2,096
The association between adolescent well-being and digital technology use
Orben, A., & Przybylski, A. K. (2019) · Nature Human Behaviour · doi:10.1038/s41562-018-0506-1 · Cited by 1,500
Twenge, J. M., Cooper, A. B., Joiner, T. E., Duffy, M. E., & Binau, S. G. (2019) · Journal of Abnormal Psychology · doi:10.1037/abn0000410 · Cited by 1,469
National trends in the prevalence and treatment of depression in adolescents and young adults.
Mojtabai, R., Olfson, M., & Han, B. (2016) · Pediatrics · doi:10.1542/peds.2016-1878 · Cited by 1,424
Self-citationNo More FOMO: Limiting Social Media Decreases Loneliness and Depression
Hunt, M. G., Marx, R., Lipson, C., & Young, J. (2018) · Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology · doi:10.1521/jscp.2018.37.10.751 · Cited by 947
Design and methods of the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study
Hyland, A., Ambrose, B. K., Conway, K. P., Borek, N., Lambert, E., Carusi, C., Taylor, K., Crosse, S., Fong, G. T., Cummings, K. M., et al. (2017) · Tobacco Control · doi:10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2016-052934 · Cited by 872
Social Networking Sites, Depression, and Anxiety: A Systematic Review
Seabrook, E. M., Kern, M. L., & Rickard, N. S. (2016) · JMIR Mental Health · doi:10.2196/mental.5842 · Cited by 763
Twenge, J. M., Martin, G. N., & Campbell, W. K. (2018) · Emotion · doi:10.1037/emo0000403 · Cited by 750
Media Use in School-Aged Children and Adolescents
COUNCIL ON COMMUNICATIONS AND MEDIA, Hill, D., Ameenuddin, N., Chassiakos, Y. (. R., Cross, C., Radesky, J., Hutchinson, J., Levine, A., Boyd, R., Mendelson, R., et al. (2016) · Pediatrics · doi:10.1542/peds.2016-2592 · Cited by 622
Maximum likelihood estimation of the attributable fraction from logistic models.
Greenland, S., & Drescher, K. (1993) · Biometrics · doi:10.2307/2532206 · Cited by 565
Research works printed but not linked: 1
- US Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Drug Abuse, Food and Drug Administration Center for Tobacco Products, 2017, Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Sohn, S. Y., Rees, P., Wildridge, B., Kalk, N. J., & Carter, B. (2019) · BMC Psychiatry · doi:10.1186/s12888-019-2350-x · Cited by 838
“Explicitly the debate in the literature has concerned the relationship between amount of screen time, or amount of smartphone use, in CYP and clinically defined, mental health outcomes, with some studies reporting no association and others exhibiting a clear association [9, 10].”
BackgroundKecojević, A., Basch, C. H., Sullivan, M., & Davi, N. (2020) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0239696 · Cited by 633
“This is consistent with previous studies which have found that increased time spent using social media per day was associated with increased odds of reporting high levels of anxiety [47].”
ResultTwenge, J. M., & Martin, G. N. (2020) · Journal of Adolescence · doi:10.1016/j.adolescence.2019.12.018 · Cited by 582
Trends in anxiety among adults in the United States, 2008–2018: rapid increases among young adults
Goodwin, R. D., Weinberger, A. H., Kim, J. H., Wu, M., & Galea, S. (2020) · Journal of Psychiatric Research · doi:10.1016/j.jpsychires.2020.08.014 · Cited by 426
A meta-analysis of the association between adolescent social media use and depressive symptoms
Ivie, E. J., Pettitt, A., Moses, L. J., & Allen, N. B. (2020) · Journal of Affective Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.jad.2020.06.014 · Cited by 358
Metadata
- Authors
- Riehm, K. E., Feder, K. A., Tormohlen, K. N., Crum, R. M., Young, A. S., Green, K. M., Pacek, L. R., La Flair, L. N., & Mojtabai, R.
- Affiliations
- Johns Hopkins University (US)
- University of Maryland, College Park (US)
- Duke University (US)
- Washington State Department of Health, Olympia
- Corresponding author
- Riehm, Kira E.
- ORCID
- Venue
- JAMA Psychiatry
- Publisher
- American Medical Association (AMA)
- Published
- 2019-12-01
- Volume
- 76
- Issue
- 12
- Pages
- 1266
- ISSN
- 2168-622X (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC6739732
- OpenAlex
- W2972459530
- Semantic Scholar
- e7f11d4a6b31685c0d541592b17e545ecd6342f7
- Cited by
- 511
- References
- 40
- Citations by year
- 2026: 103 · 2025: 100 · 2024: 88 · 2023: 64 · 2022: 54 · 2021: 55 · 2020: 43 · 2019: 4
- FWCI
- 78.36
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- JAMA Psychiatry (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Canadian Institutes of Health Research
- National Institute on Drug Abuse (K23DA044288, K01DA043413, F31DA044699, T32DA007292)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Impact of Technology on Adolescents
- Social Sciences › Education › Child Development and Digital Technology
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development
- Keywords
- social media use, adolescents, internalizing problems, externalizing problems, adolescent mental health, screen time, attributable proportion, Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health Study, longitudinal cohort, substance use, gender identity, sexual minority youth, peer victimization, bullying victimization, academic performance
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Adolescent Behavior, Mental Disorders, Behavioral Symptoms, Child, Female, Health Surveys, Humans, Longitudinal Studies, Male, Risk, Time Factors, United States, Social Media
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
A language model drew the claims from the paper on 2026-10-11, under version 3 of the claim definition (model deepseek-v4.1-flash, prompt extract-v3).
A second model labelled each claim on 2026-10-11 (model jev-1.13-20260917, definition revision gold-guideline-v0.2).
Cited sources are checked with a language model’s help (gpt-6-sol).
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
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