New research has found that boys and girls can be vulnerable to the negative effects of social media use at different times during adolescence. The study, conducted by researchers at the University of Cambridge and Oxford University, suggests that well-being can affect social media use, as well as vice versa. These effects can vary greatly between different individuals.
Side effects of social media
Unpacking the impact of digital screen time on children is perhaps one of the most divisive topics of modern parenting, and while early studies have uncovered links between mental health problems in children and screen use, many current researchers recognize that the relationship is much more complex than that every hour. Screen use = increase in depression.
After some studies finding that digital screen time is linked to increased teens’ well-being, many researchers are now splitting analyzes to focus on different types of screen use. After all, an hour on an iPad doing homework isn’t the same as an hour of scrolling through Instagram on a phone. Intelligent.
A 2019 study followed nearly 4,000 children for four years and found that increases in depression were more associated with social media use and TV watching than using computers or playing video games. Some types of screen use may be more harmful than others.
This new research focused specifically on the use of social media and its impact on children across different developmental stages, and by looking at data collected on more than 17,000 children at several points in time, the researchers wanted to understand if there were certain points in a child’s life where they were more Vulnerable to social media influences.
The results revealed that increased use of social media in girls between the ages of 11 and 13 is associated with lower life satisfaction scores after one year, as this pattern was discovered in boys shortly after their development, between the ages of 14 and 15 years.
The only other age group that showed a predictable association between social media use and life satisfaction scores was older adolescents around the age of 19, and this older association included both sexes.
Amy Urban, lead researcher on the project, said: ‘The link between social media use and mental health is clearly very complex, and it appears that changes that occur within our bodies, such as brain development and puberty, and in our social conditions make us vulnerable at certain times in our lives.
At no other time between the ages of 10 and 19 years did the researchers discover an association between increased social media use and lower life satisfaction a year later, however, perhaps most importantly, researchers discovered a consistent association across all ages and genders between lower life satisfaction scores. and increased use of social media after one year.
“Not every young person will experience a negative impact on their well-being from the use of social media, and for some, it often has a positive impact,” he told co-author Roger Kivet.
Social media use and children’s well-being
“These findings confirm that the relationship between social media use and children’s well-being is a highly complex and two-way, not as simple as suggesting that social media use is detrimental to adolescent mental health, but that there has been an extraordinary variety of individual responses to social media use, including That’s some teens who have experienced positive results from increased use.”
“Our statistical models examine averages,” Kivitt explained. “This means that not every young person will experience a negative impact on their well-being from using social media. For some, it often has a positive impact, as some may use social media to connect with friends, or to engage with friends.” a particular problem or because they don’t have anyone to talk to about a particular issue or how they feel, and for these individuals, social media can provide valuable support.”
Source: New Atlas