Social media time does not increase teenagers' mental health problems study

"Screen time spent gaming or on social media does not cause mental health problems in teenagers, according to a large-scale study. With ministers in the UK considering whether to follow Australia's example by banning social media use for under-16s, the findings challenge concerns that long periods spent gaming or scrolling TikTok or Instagram s driving an increase in teenagers' depression, anxiety and other mental health conditions."

"Researchers at the University of Manchester followed 25,000 11-14-year-olds over three school years, tracking their self-reported social media habits, gaming frequency and emotional difficulties to find out whether technology use genuinely predicted later mental health difficulties. Participants were asked how much time on a normal weekday in term time they spent on TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat and other social media, or gaming. They were also asked questions about their feelings, mood and wider mental health."

"The study found no evidence for boys or girls that heavier social media use or more frequent gaming increased teenagers' symptoms of anxiety or depression over the following year. Increases in girls and boys social media use from year 8 to year 9 and from year 9 to year 10 had zero detrimental impact on their mental health the following year, the authors found. More time spent gaming also had a zero negative effect on pupils' mental health."

A cohort of 25,000 11–14-year-olds were followed across three school years with self-reported weekday time on TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat and gaming recorded alongside questions about feelings, mood and wider mental health. Data captured frequency of gaming and different social media activities such as chatting, posting, browsing and scrolling. No evidence was found that heavier social media use or more frequent gaming increased symptoms of anxiety or depression for boys or girls in the following year. Increases in social media use and more time gaming showed zero detrimental impact on subsequent pupil mental health.

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