Negative experiences on social media carry more weight than positive interactions when it comes to the likelihood of young adults reporting depressive symptoms, according to a new analysis. The finding may be useful for designing interventions and clinical recommendations to reduce the risk of depression. “We found that positive experiences on social media were not related or only very slightly linked to lower depressive symptoms. However, negative experiences were strongly and consistently associated with higher depressive symptoms,” said lead author Brian Primack. He noted that health care professionals working with depressed patients could suggest strategies, such as restricting time spent on social media to reduce the number of negative interactions and “unfriending” people or groups that tend to enable negative experiences.