TIANJIN — Social media use may help prevent or reduce symptoms of depression in middle-aged and elderly people, according to a Chinese study published in the international journal Translational Psychiatry.

A team of researchers led by Qi Yanling, a professor at Nankai University in Tianjin, analyzed data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study. This ongoing panel survey focuses on Chinese residents aged 45 and over.

In a study conducted in 2018 and again in 2020, researchers examined the relationship between social media use and symptoms of depression. They tested longitudinal associations between the baseline social media activities of 9,121 respondents who did not report depressive symptoms in 2018 and the social media activities and depressive symptoms they reported in both years that followed.

During the same period, they also assessed whether social media use, including the use of chat, gaming and online shopping platforms, could help alleviate symptoms of depression among the 5,302 respondents who reported such symptoms in 2018.

Among respondents who initially reported no symptoms of depression, participating in social media activities was associated with a 24% lower likelihood of developing such symptoms.

Among respondents who reported symptoms in 2018, those who engaged in at least three of the seven activities measured on social media – chatting, reading news, watching videos, playing games, paying on mobile, using WeChat and posting WeChat moments – over the two-year period were 1.24 times more likely to return to a non-depressed state than those who did not use social media. Additionally, people who were consistently active on social media, engaging in social media activities in 2018 and 2020, were 1.36 times more likely to experience positive change.

Qi notes that due to the rapid aging of Chinese society, the problem of depression among the elderly will become more prominent. She suggests that special attention should be given to vulnerable groups, particularly the elderly, women, and rural and low-income residents.

It advocates cost-effective prevention and control measures, such as subsidized cell phones and mobile data for older people and the distribution of depression-related health educational content on social media.

Official statistics show that 297 million Chinese were aged 60 or over in 2023, accounting for 21.1% of the total population. According to the National Health Commission, the prevalence rate of depression in China was 2.1% in 2019, and that of anxiety disorders was 4.98%.