A research study published in the journal JAMA Psychiatry suggests that teenagers who engage in social media for more than 3 hours a day have their mental health issues doubled in comparison to those who do not use social media. The research, conducted at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, studied 6000 children aged between 12 to 15.
These kids with active social media lifestyle reported issues ranging from depressions, anxiety to aggression and anti-social behavior. These findings also take into account the young respondents who have been facing mental issues in the year before there social media use. However, previously, there have been reports that have suggested no links between increased screen time itself and social media.
While many studies have previously looked at the link between digital or social media use and mental adolescent health, they haven’t associated it with time. However, with this study, researchers suggest that reduced social media may be better for the health of teenagers. The study also found that fewer than 17 percent of teens and adolescents did not use social media. Of the ones that did, 32 percent spent less than 30 minutes a day and 31 percent spent 30 minutes to three hours. Moreover, 12 percent spent three to six hours whereas 8 percent spent more than six hours per day.
While social media does bring together people and helps in building online communities and facilitates exchange of ideas, using it in moderation can be better for teenagers and their mental health.
Tips To Promote Healthy Social Media Use For Teens and Tweens
1. Encourage switching off at bedtime. Adolescents seek social interactions online. This is often as a substitute to in real-life interactions, it is important to balance these interactions with sufficient sleep.
2. Explore the nature and quality of screen time instead of only concentrating on the quantity of it. Discuss the quality of their interactions with them as rich and varied discussions can often be rewarding.
3. Collaborate on combating excessive screen time as the whole family works towards reducing their social media usage.
4. Get acquired with their platforms however ensure that you respect their privacy.