It’s pretty common for adolescents and young adults to click the “Like” button on a post that they don’t really like or care about, just to make sure they’re part of a group. And the results of this behavior, if it’s carried out over time, are associated with anxiety and depression.
A new study has found that lots of young adults “like” posts that they don’t really like—basically creating a false image of who they are. The study explored the relationship between false self-presentation on Facebook and users’ mental wellbeing, depression, anxiety, and stress.
The study also found that those who participate in this false “liking” do it because they think it’s more morally acceptable to lie online than it is in real life.
And the study found that when young adults chronically falsely “like” something on Facebook, they make their anxiety worse. And when they post things on Facebook that are totally false—outright lies—they increase their risks for both anxiety and depression over time.
The study found that it’s more common for young adults to falsely “like” posts rather than to post things that are totally false. And falsely “liking” posts is associated with more detrimental mental health.
On the other hand, the study found that most people don’t like on Facebook. And it found that when adolescents are authentic on Facebook—when their posts are true, and when they “like” things that they really like—they experience more mental wellbeing, better social connectedness, and less stress.
The study looked at 211 Facebook users aged 18-29. Most of them were university students, and on average they had 487 friends (60 percent on average were friends “in real life”).
Do you know whether your adolescent represents herself authentically online? Have you yourself been authentic on social media? How might you go about initiating a conversation with your child about ways of reducing stress associated with social media use?