I don’t really have much to go off of other than my own experiences, but I don’t think social media caused me more anxiety than normal except for one exception. During the beginning and early years of the pandemic, reddit usage did sometimes cause me more anxiety. Especially when people were hateful/disregarded other people.

Otherwise, the main things that cause me anxiety are a lack of community + a lack of third spaces. Feeling like I have no purpose other than being a cog in a machine/wealth disparity/alienation from my labour. Governments that don’t care for the people they’re supposed to serve. A general feeling of not being able to get ahead in life.

That’s been the major cause of anxiety for me for the past 12 years

I think it really depends on how people are using the internet/ social media. I’m sure we all use it differently, and it might cause more or less anxiety.