Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/314687 
Authors: 
Year of Publication: 
2025
Series/Report no.: 
CESifo Working Paper No. 11648
Publisher: 
CESifo GmbH, Munich
Abstract: 
This paper investigates the impact of social media algorithms on mental health outcomes. I exploit a quasi-experimental setting combining data from the Dutch Longitudinal Internet Studies for the Social Sciences (LISS) coupled with the introduction of the algorithmic feed on Instagram in 2016. I estimate a differences-in-differences model comparing individuals having an Instagram account with individuals who have an account on social media platforms other than Instagram. Using a longitudinal dataset, allows for comparison of the same individuals before and after the introduction of the algorithm. The results show that the introduction of the algorithm on Instagram had a negative impact on teenagers mental health. Furthermore, I show that this effect cannot be attributed to a decrease in stigma surrounding mental health issues or an increased likelihood of individuals reporting such conditions. Additionally, evidence on mechanisms suggests that the results are due to the algorithm on Instagram favoring negative social comparisons.
Subjects: 
social media
recommendation algorithm
mental health
JEL: 
I12
I31
L82
L86
Document Type: 
Working Paper
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