Social media addiction has previously been linked to compromised mental health and social isolation; however, most studies are cross-sectional or based on convenience samples. The objective of the current study was to assess the extent to which social media addiction predicts compromised mental health and social isolation (including bi-directionality) in a large prospective sample of Danish adults. Data stem from a nationwide longitudinal Danish survey of 1958 adults (aged 16+) conducted in 2020 and 2021. The Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale (BSMAS) was used. Validated scales were used to assess depression, mental wellbeing, and loneliness. A total of 2.3% screened positive for social media addiction. As compared to no symptoms, social media addiction was associated with an elevated risk for depression (OR = 2.71; 95% CI 1.08, 6.83) and negatively with mental wellbeing (coef = −1.29; 95% CI −2.41, −0.16). Similarly, social media addiction was associated with an elevated risk of loneliness (OR = 4.40; 95% CI 1.20, 16.19), and negatively with social network size (coef = −0.46; 95% CI −0.86, −0.06). There is a need for preventive actions against addictive social media use, as this poses significant risk to mental health and social functioning in the working age population.

社交媒体成瘾此前曾被认为与心理健康受损和社会孤立有关。然而，大多数研究都是横截面的或基于方便样本。本研究的目的是评估丹麦成年人的大型前瞻性样本中社交媒体成瘾在多大程度上预示着心理健康受损和社会孤立（包括双向性）。数据来源于 2020 年和 2021 年对 1958 名成年人（16 岁以上）进行的丹麦全国纵向调查。使用了卑尔根社交媒体成瘾量表 (BSMAS)。使用经过验证的量表来评估抑郁、心理健康和孤独感。共有 2.3% 的人社交媒体成瘾筛查结果呈阳性。与无症状相比，社交媒体成瘾与抑郁风险升高相关（OR = 2.71；95% CI 1.08，6.83），与心理健康呈负相关（coef = -1.29；95% CI -2.41，-0.16）。同样，社交媒体成瘾与孤独风险升高相关（OR = 4.40；95% CI 1.20，16.19），与社交网络规模呈负相关（coef = -0.46；95% CI -0.86，-0.06）。有必要采取预防措施来防止社交媒体上瘾，因为这对工作年龄人口的心理健康和社会功能构成重大风险。