Teens that use social networks more than 3 hours per day, with a higher risk of anxiety and depression

WhatsApp is the channel by which diffuse more hoaxes about health

A new study by researchers from the Bloomberg School of Public Health of Johns Hopkins has found that teenagers who spend more than three hours a day on social networks have more chances of high levels of behaviors internalized, with anxiety or depression, compared with adolescents who do not use.

The study, published online in the journal JAMA Psychiatry, examined the amount of time that adolescents reported having spent on social networks and two types of behaviors that can be indicators of mental health problems: internalising and externalising.

The internalization may involve social withdrawal , difficult to deal with anxiety or depression or to direct the feelings inward. The outsourcing may include aggression, act, disobey, or other observable behaviors.

The study found that the use of social networks for any amount of time was associated both with an increased risk of reporting problems of internalization alone and with symptoms concurrent problems of internalization and externalization. We did not find a significant association with the use of social networks and the problems of outsourcing alone

teenagers who spent at least three hours to the day on social networks had the highest risk of reporting problems of internalization only.

The study found that the use of social networks for any amount of time was associated both with an increased risk of reporting problems of internalization

"Many existing studies have found a link between the use of digital media or social, and the health of adolescents, but few look at this association over time," says the lead author on Kimra Rieh , phd student in the Department of Mental Health of the Bloomberg School.

"Our study shows that adolescents who report high levels of time they spend in social networks are more likely to report problems of internalization, one year after --explains--. We can not conclude that social networks cause mental health problems, but we believe that it may be better less time on social networks to the health of adolescents".

The use of social networks among teenagers is very widespread. Recent surveys have found that 95 percent of teens in the united States have access to a smartphone, and nearly 75 percent of teens have at least one account in social networks.

The use of social networks has risks and benefits for the health. These platforms often provide ways to connect with their peers, and information and resources on causes that are important to them, but there are risks of cyber-bullying and other attacks digital .

For their study, the researchers used a nationally representative sample of american adolescents 13 to 17 years of Study Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) funded with federal funds between 2013 and 2016. The study collected data for three years, and the analysis involved 6.595 respondents.

Each year, the participants were asked how much time spent on social networks, as well as questions related to the symptoms of mental health problems both internal and external .

we can Not conclude that social networks cause mental health problems, but we believe that it may be better to less time in the social networks to the health of teens

The study found that less than 17 percent of adolescents did not use social networks. For those who reported to use social networks, 2.082 (32%), reported having spent less than 30 minutes; 2.000 (31%) reported having spent between 30 minutes and three hours; 817 (12%) reported having spent from three to six hours; and 571 (8%) reported spending more than six hours per day.

The researchers also found that 611 respondents (9%) reported experiencing only problems of internalization, while 885 (14%) reported experiencing only externalising problems; 1.169 (18%) reported to have experienced internal and external problems; and 3.930 (59%) reported problems no / low. The study found no links between the use of social networks and the mental health problems and gender.

"social networks have the ability to connect to adolescents who may be excluded in your daily life. We need to find a better way to balance the benefits of social media with potential negative health outcomes --it says Riehm--. Set reasonable limits, improve the design of social networking platforms, and focus interventions on media literacy are all ways in which potentially we can find this balance."

Date Of Update: 13 September 2019, 17:00