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Study Claims No Link Between Screen Time and Teen Anxiety
A longitudinal study of over 25,000 Greater Manchester pupils found no evidence that increased social media use or gaming causes worsening mental health in early adolescence.
- Researchers following more than 25,000 young people in Greater Manchester over three school years found little evidence that social media or gaming causes mental health problems, using a longitudinal approach.
- Widespread concern that screen time fuels youth anxiety motivated the work, as public and policymakers link TikTok and gaming to rising teen anxiety, prompting researchers to test causality beyond simple correlations.
- The analysis found no within-person link between increased use and later symptoms; sensitivity analyses showed neither active nor passive social media use predicted internalising symptoms, with girls gaming more spending less time on social media and boys reducing gaming after higher symptoms.
- The study cautions that blanket time limits or bans may not improve long-term wellbeing, as limiting hours or banning social media for under-16s is unlikely to affect teenagers’ mental health but risks like cyberbullying and sleep disruption remain.
- Amid union calls for a ban and Ofsted warnings, the study does not rule out short-term effects, with NASUWT surveyed 5800 teachers, and 81 reported increased violent behaviour.
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Evidence for link between digital technology use and teenage mental health problems is weak, our large study suggests
PeopleImages/ShutterstockFor years, the narrative surrounding teenagers’ use of digital technology has been one of alarm. Time spent scrolling through TikTok or playing video games is widely seen to be driving the current crisis in youth mental health, fuelling rising rates of anxiety and depression. But our recent study suggests that this simple story of cause and effect is not supported by the evidence. After following more than 25,000 young p…
How do social media use, gaming frequency, and internalizing symptoms predict each other over time in early-to-middle adolescence?
AbstractBackground. The effects of adolescent digital technology use (e.g. social media, gaming) on their mental health are a major public health concern,
·Oxford, United Kingdom
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Total News Sources11
Leaning Left1Leaning Right1Center3Last UpdatedBias Distribution60% Center
Bias Distribution
- 60% of the sources are Center
60% Center
L 20%
C 60%
R 20%
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