Facebook admits it poses mental health risk – but says using site more can help

Company acknowledges 'passive' consumption of material can make people 'feel worse' but argues more engagement could improve wellbeing

Facebook has acknowledged that social media use can be bad for users' mental health, a sign the company is feeling pressure from a growing chorus of critics raising alarms about the platform's effect on society.

Researchers for the social network admitted in a blogpost Friday that studies have found that spending time on Facebook "passively consuming information" can leave people "feeling worse", but also argued that part of the solution is to engage and interact more with people on the platform.