High Social Media Use Increases Mental Health Risks for Adolescents
The decade-long study found 12- to 13-year-olds faced higher depressive symptoms after two hours a day online, with girls affected most.
- A decade-long study of nearly 1,200 Melbourne children published Friday in the Medical Journal of Australia links heavy social media use to poorer mental health, the Murdoch Children's Research Institute reported.
- Researchers identified ages 12 to 13 as a critical vulnerability window, noting that rapid pubertal brain development makes early adolescents hypersensitive to social status, peer acceptance, and exclusion.
- Data shows that girls aged 12 to 13 face the highest risk, with 11 additional cases of high depressive symptoms per 100 adolescents when spending more than 2 hours daily online.
- These findings arrive six months after Australia implemented a world-first ban for under-16s, though critics argue the restrictions remain difficult to enforce as about 70 per cent of children continue using accounts.
- To monitor how platform age-gates influence long-term mental health, researchers launched the Connected Minds Study, emphasizing a balanced preventive framework including digital literacy initiatives.
14 Articles
14 Articles
High social media use increases mental health risks for adolescents
Adolescents who spend at least two hours a day on social media are more likely to experience depressive symptoms and poorer wellbeing, with the strongest effects in early adolescence, according to new research.
Medical Xpress
Scientific InquirerSocial media use linked to poorer mental health in early adolescence
Adolescents who spend at least two hours a day on social media are more likely to experience depressive symptoms and poorer well-being, with the strongest effects in early adolescence, according to new research.
Kids on social media more than two hours a day at higher risk of mental illness
Sixteen Miles Out/UnsplashAs the United Kingdom and other countries make moves to follow Australia’s lead in restricting access to social media for under 16s, there is still much we don’t know about how the technology impacts young people’s mental health over time. For example, does using social media for a certain amount of hours each day lead to increased harm? Are younger adolescents more vulnerable than older ones? Is there any difference be…
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