Dark web users show markedly higher mental health vulnerabilities

The dark web – a hidden corner of the internet accessed through privacy-preserving tools like the Tor browser – operates beyond the reach of traditional search engines and public platforms. Unlike the surface web, its architecture is deliberately designed to shield identities and activities from view, prioritizing anonymity over transparency.

Although the dark web has existed for more than 20 years, research assessing mental health differences between its users and those who stay on the surface web remains limited. Its pseudo-anonymous nature and emphasis on privacy may attract individuals with mental health vulnerabilities, potentially drawing them into these hidden spaces.

A small but growing body of research points to a possible connection between mental health challenges and dark web use. However, direct empirical comparisons between dark web users and surface web users – especially in the context of mental health – are scarce. While such links have been theorized, they have yet to be thoroughly investigated through systematic research, until now.

A new Florida Atlantic University study reveals significant mental health differences between dark web users and those who use only the surface web, and sheds light on a group whose involvement in this secretive online space has largely kept them outside the scope of traditional research.

Leveraging survey data collected from 2,000 adults in the United States, Ryan C. Meldrum, Ph.D., lead author and director of the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice within FAU's College of Social Work and Criminal Justice, and collaborators, explored whether those who report dark web use differ from surface web users across five mental health indicators.

Published in the journal Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, the study finds that dark web users reported substantially higher levels of depressive symptoms and paranoid thoughts as compared to surface web users. In addition, there were substantial differences between dark web users and surface web users pertaining to suicidal thoughts, non-suicidal self-injury and digital self-harm.

Adults who reported suicidal thoughts had nearly three times greater odds of reporting dark web use. Likewise, those who reported non-suicidal self-injury (e.g. cutting or burning oneself) were nearly five times more likely to report use of the dark web, and individuals who had engaged in digital self-harm (anonymously posting hurtful or negative comments about themselves online) had more than 19 times greater odds of reported dark web use.

"Our findings suggest that many individuals who turn to the dark web may be doing so not just for privacy concerns, but as a reflection of deeper mental health struggles and the possible desire to socialize and engage in information-seeking in a context free of scrutiny that might otherwise be experienced on the surface web or offline," said Meldrum. "This underscores the need for mental health professionals to recognize and understand the hidden digital spaces some individuals may be engaging with. The dark web isn't just a technological frontier – it's a human one, where vulnerability and pain often go unseen."

The discovery that dark web users consistently report greater mental health vulnerabilities carries significant real-world implications. Equipping social workers and mental health practitioners to safely and ethically engage with individuals on the dark web could open new pathways to support those who may otherwise go unnoticed. Similarly, raising awareness among parents, educators and policymakers about the link between mental health and dark web use – just as has been done with problematic social media use – could be a valuable step forward.

"The dark web may seem like a world apart, but the psychological challenges many people bring into this space are very real," said Meldrum. "We cannot afford to overlook these digital environments simply because they are used by a subset of internet users. If we are committed to reaching the most vulnerable, we must be willing to engage with them – even in the more hidden corners of the internet."

Study co-authors are Raymond D. Partin, Ph.D., Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice, University of Alabama; Peter S. Lehmann, Ph.D., Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology, Sam Houston State University; and Salpi S. Kevorkian, Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice, Florida International University.