Updated29. September 2024, 12:57
Experts warn: Luxembourg’s young people are struggling with social media addiction
LUXEMBOURG – “Problematic” social media use is increasing among young Europeans, the World Health Organization warns. Experts in the Grand Duchy clarify.
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Marion Chevrier
Snapchat, WhatsApp, Instagram and TikTok are the most popular among young people in Luxembourg.
Freepik
In 2022, a study of 280,000 adolescents aged 11, 13 and 15 from 44 countries in Europe, Central Asia and Canada showed that eleven percent of adolescents (13 percent of girls and 9 percent of boys) showed signs of problematic social media use have. This phenomenon is strongest among 13- and 15-year-old girls in Romania, where it affects 28 percent, and least among young people in the Netherlands with only three percent.
“We need immediate and sustained action to help young people stop potentially harmful use of social media, which has been shown to lead to depression, bullying, anxiety and poor academic performance,” said the WHO Regional Director for Europe, Hans Kluge, in a statement on Wednesday.
Almost a third are constantly in contact with friends
In Luxembourg, ten percent of young people are affected, i.e. h. They present with symptoms similar to those of addiction: inability to control excessive use, feelings of lack and abandonment of other activities in favor of social media, and negative consequences of excessive use in everyday life. According to the study, 31 percent of young people use social media intensively and only 13 percent are completely inactive on social media.
However, the UN organization also points to the benefits of responsible use of social media, particularly the connection between people with similar passions and interests. In Luxembourg, 29 percent of 15-year-old boys and 34 percent of girls of the same age say they are constantly in digital contact with their friends.
This is how educators in Luxembourg assess the situation
The minimum age for using social media has been set at 13 years. “And that’s no coincidence,” explains Carmen Weyer, educator at the Kanner Youth Telephone (KJT), a support service for children and young people that runs the Bee Secure Helpline and the Stopline. “It is assumed that from this age onwards the young person has developed enough skills to understand how to use social networks.” So it’s all a question of maturity.
Which social network serves as a good start?
Facebook, Instagram, TikTok or Snapchat? “It depends entirely on the needs of the young person. You have to ask the child to understand his motives and thus find the social network that suits him best,” explains Carmen Weyer. Is it about staying in touch with friends? Or follow influencers? The better the social network meets the child’s expectations, the better he or she will be able to deal with it.
With or without control?
What parent wouldn’t be tempted to spy on their child on social media? Here too, according to Carmen Weyer, dialogue and the creation of a climate of trust are “crucially important”. Parental control is important, but it is more about accompaniment than supervision. However, Bee Secure advocates setting up parameters that allow young people to move in a safer environment. These boundaries would have to remain flexible and adapt to the age of the child and how they interact with social networks.
What to do about bullying?
“You have to react immediately,” says Weyer, using various means: The young person can initially rely on indifference, then block the contact who is harassing him and, after securing evidence (screenshots), report him to the operators of the social network. If cyberbullying continues, you have to “seek a conversation”. “Children should talk to adults they trust to find a solution,” Carmen Weyer continues. This could be within the family or at school, where awareness of this problem is now being raised. Parents and young people can also contact the Bee Secure Helpline (8002 1234, Monday to Friday 9am to 4pm). “The bullied child needs to be listened to, but also the bullying child, because he or she is sometimes not aware of what he is doing and what he is risking.”
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(AFP)