JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Despite the widespread prevalence of social media, there remains a paucity of evidence regarding the use of social media among older adults and its association with mental health.

Objective:

This study aimed to outline the social media use status among retired elderly, and explore the association between social media use, including time spent and addiction, with mental health status.

Methods:

A cross-sectional survey was conducted in Shanghai, China, during 2024. A total of 15,986 retired participants were recruited via universities for the aged and primary healthcare institutions. Short version of anxiety (GAD-2) and depression (PHQ-2) scales were used to minimize the required time to complete the questionnaire for the elderly. Logistic regressions were used to examine the impact of social media use on mental health after controlling for covariates. Subgroup analysis were performed considering gender, age, marital status, urbanicity, and socio-economic status.

Results:

The participants had an average age of 68.49 (SD 7.6) years, with the majority being married and living with spouse (13854/15986, 86.66%) and around half being male (8155/15986, 51.01%). Our research indicated that over 98% of retired elderly individuals had used social media, with WeChat, Douyin, and Kuaishou being the most common platforms. Among them, 52.30% spend 2-3 hours/day, 32.29% spend >4 hours/day, and 20.35% were addicted to social media. Older adults with longer daily social media use time (≥6 hours) exhibited higher rates of anxiety (OR 1.44, 95% CI 1.20-1.72; P<.001) and depression (OR 1.50, 95% CI 1.25-1.79; P<.001), compared with those who used social media for ≤1 hour per day. Older adults addicted to social media were more likely to experience anxiety (OR 2.81, 95% CI 2.57-3.08; P<.001) and depression (OR 2.51, 95% CI 2.30-2.75; P<.001). Subgroup analyses revealed higher risks for females, younger elderly individuals, those with lower education and income, urban residents, and non-solo dwellers.

Conclusions:

The retired elderly in Shanghai are an active group of social media users, with over 6 hours of daily social media use and addiction significantly and positively affecting anxiety and depression. Future social media research should pay more attention to the elderly, and develop appropriate protective measures.