Snapchat Habits Linked to Mood Changes in Saudi Adults

A new study from Saudi Arabia shows a small but real link between heavy Snapchat use and symptoms of depression and anxiety. Researchers looked at adults in the Qassim region. They found that people who used the app more intensely tended to report more mental health struggles. The connection was not huge. It explained only about six to ten percent of the differences in symptoms. Still it was statistically solid.

The survey ran online in Arabic from January to August 2023. It focused on Buraydah City. The team picked 12 schools using a random cluster method. Then they invited school staff and their adult family members to join. To take part you had to be 18 to 65 years old. You also had to use Snapchat at least two to four times a day. In the end 323 adults completed the questionnaire.

Most participants were women. The average age was about 33. Men and women used Snapchat at similar levels. The researchers measured app intensity with a six question scale borrowed from a Facebook tool. Scores ranged from 6 to 30. The average score was 17.8. The scale worked well with a reliability score of 0.87.

Mental health was checked with two standard tools. The PHQ-9 looks at depression. The GAD-7 looks at anxiety. Both had Arabic versions. The stats used Spearman correlation and linear regression. The model controlled for age marital status and income. Even after those adjustments the link between Snapchat intensity and both depression and anxiety stayed significant.

This does not prove Snapchat causes mental health issues. It only shows they often appear together. Other factors like personality or life stress could play a role. More research is needed to understand the direction of the relationship. For now it is a signal worth watching.