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She adds,"We were also able to show that these upward social comparisons are related to the well-being of children and adolescents. So the more they were confronted with the alleged better lives of others on social media, the worse they felt." Not only that,"Our research further found that upward comparisons established the link between social media use and lower well-being. So they seem to be a central factor," Irmer said.
Then, for 14 days the participants daily answered questions about their social media use that day, the upward comparisons they experienced, and their well-being. The variables were thereby answered on 5-point scales. The researchers assessed well-being with two dimensions: an assessment of self-worth and an assessment of mood. The online link to the survey was sent to the children and adolescents each evening—with instructions to complete it shortly before going to bed.