Social networks increase the risk of teenage depression

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – The symptoms of depression associated with the use of social media are more likely to be observed in adolescents than in adolescents, researchers reported Friday.

They attribute this primarily to online harassment and sleep disturbances, as well as a negative impression of body shape and a decrease in self-esteem.

The researchers in the study, who analyzed data from about 11,000 young Britons, found that 14-year-old girls were more likely to use social media: about 40% of them used it more than 3 hours a day, compared to 20% of teenagers.

The study also revealed that 12% of those who used social media in a small number and 38% of those who used them more intensively "more than 5 hours a day" showed signs of more severe depression.

When researchers studied the underlying causes of the use of depression by social networks, they found that 40% of girls and 25% of boys were harassed or bullied online.

Symptoms of sleep disorders occurred in 40% of girls compared to 28% of boys; Anxiety and lack of sleep are related to depression.

The researchers concluded that girls were more affected when it came to using communication and anxiety related to fitness and self-esteem, but that the boys had less impact.

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. .