Social networking has the potential to impact physical and mental health, with a number of studies suggesting it could be the cause of sleep disorders, weight problems, and mental health issues such as stress and anxiety.

But social networks can also have an indirect impact on the health of their users, particularly younger ones: new research suggests that these platforms may literally be a cause of nightmares.

“As social media becomes increasingly intertwined with our lives, its impact extends beyond waking hours and may influence our dreams,” said Reza Shabahang of Flinders University, Australia.

The researcher, who developed the “Social Media Nightmare-Related Scale” to assess how social networking can contribute to nightmares, points out that this type of media can, if used excessively, influence the realm of dreams.

This finding was demonstrated in collaboration with a team of international researchers. “Our study introduces the concept of social media-related nightmares, those that involve themes such as cyberbullying, online hate or excessive use,” said the lead author of this research, published in the journal BMC Psychology.

Using this measurement scale, the researchers conclude that social media-related nightmares remain rare – which is good news. However, “those who use social media more during their daily lives are more likely to have related nightmares associated with negative mental health outcomes such as anxiety, depression, and sleep quality”, Shabahang noted.

This link between social networks and bad dreams, albeit weak, once again demonstrates the potential impact of these platforms on the mental health of the most active users. And this effect could become even more pronounced with future technologies.

“With the rapid advances in technology and media – including artificial intelligence and virtual reality – along with increasing dependency on these technologies and deeper integration, it is anticipated that dreams featuring technological and media content will become more frequent,” the expert outlined.

To counteract such effects, the authors simply recommend reining in your social media use and adopting “responsible and mindful use” of these platforms. Future research in the field may focus on the impact of the perceived dangers of artificial intelligence on nightmares.