In Case You Haven't Heard…

Abstract

There is little evidence to show that teenagers in the U.K. who spend more time on social media have worse mental health, according to a new study by University College London (UCL) researchers, Medical Xpress reported on April 14. The study, published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research, examined the link between social media use and mental health in more than 3,000 participants between 10 and 15 years old, from the Understanding Society household survey. The number of young people with mental health conditions has increased over the last 20 years and social media has often been cited as one of the causes. Researchers measured the number of hours spent on social media per day on a five‐point scale from “none” to “seven or more hours” at the ages of 12–13 years. They then examined data on self‐esteem and social connectedness (i.e., having strong friendships) at the ages of 13–14, before finally assessing mental health at the ages of 14–15. The findings showed that there was little evidence to suggest that more time spent on social media was associated with later mental health problems in adolescents in the UK. The researchers have called for prevention strategies and interventions to improve mental health associated with social media use while considering factors such as self‐esteem.