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NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Depression symptoms associated with the use of social media are more common among teens than teenagers, mainly because of Internet harassment and sleep disturbances, as well as negative perceptions body shape and loss of self-esteem, researchers said Friday.
In a study analyzing data on about 11,000 British youth, researchers found that 14-year-old girls were more likely to use social media: about 40% used it more than three hours a day, compared with 20% of boys .
The study also revealed that 12% of people with a low level of social media and 38% of those who used it more intensely (more than five hours a day) showed signs of more severe depression.
When researchers studied the underlying causes of the use of depression by social media, they found that 40% of girls and 25% of boys were harassed or intimidated online. The symptoms of sleep disorders appeared in 40% of girls compared to 28% of boys. Anxiety and lack of sleep are associated with depression.
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The researchers concluded that girls are more affected when it comes to using communication and anxiety related to fitness and self-esteem. But boys have been less affected by this.
Yvonne Kelly, a professor at the Institute of Epidemiology and Health Care at the University of Cambridge in London and head of the research team, urged parents and policymakers to lend pay attention to the results of the study.
"These findings are strongly related to the development of guidelines for the safe use of social media and the organization of youth employment hours," the group said in a statement. .
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