(PS9-44) TikTok Logins and Suicidal Ideation: Investigating Social Media Engagement and Suicide Risk

Abstract Text: Social media plays an increasingly important role in adolescents’ lives, but the role of social media in suicidality remains unclear. More than 20% of teens have seriously considered suicide (APA, 2023). Social media provides a sense of community and builds peer support networks, buffering against suicidality (Luxton et al., 2012). Social media is also shown to increase adolescent suicide risk when vulnerable populations are exposed to suicide related content on social media (Dunlop et al., 2011). TikTok’s algorithm-driven engagement remains understudied. Reliance on social media has been linked to adolescent suicide (Balt, 2023), and exposure to suicide-related content is associated with suicidal ideation and attempts during suicide clusters (Swedo, 2022). This study examines whether individuals with a history of suicidal ideation log into TikTok more frequently than those without. Given prior research linking social media use to suicide risk (Dunlop et al., 2011; Swedo, 2022) it is hypothesized that individuals with a history of suicidal ideation will log in to TikTok at a higher frequency than those without.
Participants (N = 111, M = 20.58, SD = 2.29) were recruited through community and medical centers. The sample included 76.47% female, 13.72% male, 8.50% non-binary, and 1.31% other gender identities. Racially, 50% identified as White, 26.92% Asian, 7.69% Black/African American, and 15.39% other. Sixty-nine percent reported a lifetime history of suicidal ideation. TikTok data, including logins and number of videos watched, was downloaded. Clinical interviews assessed suicidality, sleep, and demographics. Suicidal ideation was determined using the Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS). An independent samples t-test compared TikTok logins between individuals with and without a history of suicidal ideation.
No significant difference was found between groups, t(110) = 0.16, p = .87, Cohen's d = 0.03, indicating a negligible effect size. The 95% confidence interval for Cohen’s d ranged from -0.34 to 0.40.
These findings underscore the need for more nuanced measures of digital behavior in suicide prevention efforts such as videos watched, interactions and accounts visited. This may not fully capture how social media use relates to suicidal ideation and exploring suicidal behaviors and TikTok use may provide further insight into the effects social media have on suicide. Future research should explore alternative measures of TikTok engagement and suicide attempts and behaviors