It has been revealed that young people who use social media for more than two hours a day are more likely to experience psychological distress and suicidal thoughts
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Social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook have become indispensable communication tools for many people. A study called ' Frequent Use of Social Networking Sites Is Associated with Poor Psychological Functioning Among Children and Adolescents ' investigated the relationship between web-based platforms like Twitter and Facebook and the mental health of teenagers. The results of the study revealed that teenagers who use social networking sites for more than two hours each day are more likely to experience psychological distress and suicidal thoughts .
Frequent Use of Social Networking Sites Is Associated with Poor Psychological Functioning Among Children and Adolescents
(PDF) http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/pdf/10.1089/cyber.2015.0055
From traditional ones like Twitter and Facebook to photo and video-focused ones like Instagram and Vine, various social networking sites have become integrated into the lives of many people around the world as communication tools. According to a survey by Dentsu Institute of Human Studies , the registration rates for major social networking sites among young people in their teens and twenties in Japan are as follows: the LINE registration rate for high school students is over 90%, and the Twitter registration rate is also very high at 80%.
The Department of Environmental Health in Ottawa, Canada, has published a report examining the relationship between social media, which is deeply connected to the lives of so many people, and the mental health of teenagers. The survey targeted 753 middle and high school students in Ottawa (male:female ratio 45:55, with a slight preponderance of girls), with a median age of 14.1 years.
The survey asked students about their social media habits, their mental health, whether they feel emotionally fulfilled, and whether they need mental health support. According to the survey, 25.2% of students reported using social media platforms such as Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook for more than two hours per day. 54.3% reported using social media platforms for less than two hours per day, while the remaining 20.5% reported using social media platforms rarely or not at all.
By AFS-USA Intercultural Programs
The frequency of social media use seems to increase with age, with over 90% of Grade 12 students (equivalent to third-year high school students in Japan) reporting that they use social media on a daily basis.
The survey also revealed that students who use social media for more than two hours daily were more likely to be in a 'mentally unhealthy state.' This 'mentally unhealthy state' refers to students who experience psychological distress with signs of anxiety or depression, or who have suicidal thoughts or feel spiritually dissatisfied. However, this study did not specifically consider the causal relationship between the amount of time spent on social media and mental state.
'It's possible that teenagers with mental health issues are seeking conversation due to feelings of loneliness,' lead author Dr. Hugues Sampasa-Kanyinga told HuffPost Science . However, he added, 'The relationship between social media and mental health is very complex, and it's not possible to simply explain it as 'social media use causes mental health problems.''
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