Florida residents’ anxiety is linked to social media use and varies with age, new study shows

Younger Floridians who spend a lot of time on social media tend to be more anxious on average than other adults in the Sunshine State. Pheelings Media/iStock via Getty Images Plus

Over 40 million American adults – approximately 19% – live with an anxiety disorder, according to the National Institutes of Health.

Studies show this anxiety is most prevalent in young people. In recent years, social psychologists such as Jonathan Haidt have started to draw connections between tech use and anxiety. They argue that the ubiquity of smartphones and social media may affect not only the habits and emotions of young people but also key aspects of their brain development during adolescence.