The impact of social media on teenagers

As reported by the BBC News, new research suggests that teenagers who spend more time on social media are less satisfied in life

Scientists believe teenagers are more vulnerable due to brain, hormonal and social changes during adolescent development.

The study, in Nature Communications, researched the impact of social media usage on boys and girls.

Researchers, from the Universities of Cambridge and Oxford and the Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, have urged social media companies to share more of their data to allow for further research.

The link between social media use and wellbeing is complex. Dr Amy Orben, the lead researcher, said “we can now focus on the periods of adolescence where we know we might be most at risk, and use this as a springboard to explore some really interesting questions.”

The research examined a UK household survey of over 72,000 people between 2011 and 2018. The group were asked to report their life satisfaction and how much time they spent on social media.

Young adolescents showed the most negative responses. 16 to 21-year-olds who had no or very high (more than seven hours) daily social media were less satisfied than those who used up to three hours.

Researchers then focused on a smaller group of 17,409 10 to 21-year-old, investigating the link between present-day social media use and future life satisfaction. The results showed that among girls aged 11 to 13, those who had increased their social media usage in the last 12 months felt less satisfied a year later.

Researchers warned other factors – such as the exact nature of social media content and the people they are interacting with online – were also important.

Expert in child mental health at the University of Manchester, Prof Bernadka Dubicka, said: “This is an interesting study, reflects the complexity seen in vulnerable adolescents in clinical practice, and finally moves away from the unhelpful dichotomy about whether social media is or isn’t harmful.

“It will be vital to build on this research to understand both the harmful as well as supportive role of social media in young people’s lives.”

Social media can be a force for good and help teenagers stay in contact with each other, but the research presents questions as to whether more restrictions on social media use, in schools, for example, should be in place.