More Than Entertainment: Instagram Reels Linked to Mental Health Among Gen Z

The researchers explored how people use Reels to share knowledge, communicate with creators and build relationships, giving users more opportunities to interact than traditional television offers.

A funny video, a helpful explanation or a conversation with someone who understands your experience can make Instagram feel like a source of connection, even as the same platform brings pressure to compare yourself with others. Research published in Frontiers in Public Health, titled 'Generation Z usage of Instagram for TV: investigating media consumption, user interaction patterns, and mental health outcomes,' explores these mixed experiences among young adults in Jordan. Mohammed Habes and his co-authors found that Instagram Reels use was associated with both positive wellbeing indicators and negative mental health indicators, challenging the idea that its relationship with young people's emotional lives can be described as entirely beneficial or harmful.

What 422 young adults revealed about their Reels habits

The researchers asked 422 Instagram Reels users aged 18–27 in Jordan to complete an online survey between January and April 2026. Questions covered how other people influenced their use, whether Reels met their expectations, why they wanted to keep using it, and their experiences with sharing ideas, trust and mental health. Participants were recruited through social media and online communities and encouraged to share the survey with others who qualified. The researchers explored how people use Reels to share knowledge, communicate with creators and build relationships, giving users more opportunities to interact than traditional television offers.

The team examined how social connections, satisfaction with the app and plans to continue using it were linked to users' experiences. They used statistical analysis to identify relationships between the survey answers and an artificial intelligence model to test how well these factors could predict mental health outcomes. Checks suggested that the survey measures were consistent and suitable for the analysis.

Sharing ideas and building trust keep users engaged

Friends, influencers and online communities were linked to how young adults shared ideas and trusted people on Instagram Reels. The strongest connection was between social influence and sharing ideas, suggesting that people around a user matter when they decide to exchange opinions or experiences. The researchers suggest that the importance of family and friends in Jordan could help explain this finding, though studies in other countries would be needed to see whether the same pattern applies.

Users who found the information, entertainment and social connection they expected from Reels reported sharing more ideas, having greater trust and using the platform more. People who planned to keep using Reels also reported these behaviours, but the connection between their plans and trust was weaker. This suggests that wanting to use the app does not necessarily mean trusting its creators, as trust may develop through conversations and shared experiences.

Sharing ideas was linked to stronger trust, and users with greater trust tended to use Reels more. The researchers ranked idea sharing as the most important factor linked to engagement, followed by social influence and having expectations met. The findings suggest that young adults may return to Reels to exchange knowledge, discuss their experiences, connect with people they trust, and watch entertaining videos.

Connection and emotional strain appear in the same picture

The researchers separated positive and negative mental health indicators to avoid hiding different experiences inside one overall score. Positive indicators covered psychological wellbeing, self-esteem and social connectedness; negative indicators included anxiety, depression, loneliness and fear of missing out. Higher Reels use was associated with higher scores in both groups, with similar-sized statistical relationships: 0.341 for positive outcomes and 0.318 for negative outcomes. These figures describe the strength of associations in the model, not percentage changes in mental health or rates of diagnosed illness.

The authors discuss several possible explanations for this mixed pattern, including opportunities for self-expression, entertainment, learning and social support, together with exposure to idealised lives, social comparison and pressure to stay connected. Their interpretation is that the content people encounter, their reasons for using the platform and the nature of their interactions may help shape their experiences. The survey did not establish that these proposed mechanisms caused the measured outcomes, or that every participant experienced benefits and difficulties together.

The neural network achieved reported prediction accuracy of 60.7% in training and 66.6% in testing, leaving considerable uncertainty about individual mental health experiences. Its modest performance suggests that the six factors included in the model capture only part of a much broader picture, with other personal and social circumstances likely to matter.

Healthier digital spaces need more than a screen-time limit

For educators, content creators, policymakers and platform developers, the authors highlight the potential value of credible information, supportive interaction and safer opportunities to share ideas. Their findings suggest that efforts to improve digital wellbeing should consider what people do online and how they relate to others, alongside the amount of time they spend using an app. These are implications drawn from the research, rather than interventions whose effectiveness was tested in the study.

The evidence has clear boundaries because each participant completed a survey at one point in time, preventing the researchers from determining whether Reels use changed mental health or existing emotional experiences influenced platform use. Participants' pre-existing psychological conditions were not assessed, and self-reported answers can be affected by memory or a desire to present oneself favourably. Recruiting volunteers and their contacts also limits how confidently the findings can be extended to all young adults in Jordan or other countries.