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A UK study found that adolescent mental health is affected by heavy use of social media.
Research from the Institute for Educational Policy and the Prince (Charles) Foundation indicates that well-being and self-esteem are the same for all school-aged children.
The study found that the well-being of boys and girls is affected by the age of 14, but girls’ mental health declines even more afterwards.
The study said that lack of exercise is another contributing factor, and the Corona outbreak exacerbated the impact of this factor.
According to the study:
- One in three girls was unhappy with their personal appearance by the age of 14, compared to one in seven girls at the end of primary school.
- The number of young adults potentially living with mental illness has grown to one in six, compared to one in nine in 2017.
- Boys in the lower elementary age group had lower self-esteem at age 14 than their peers.
The well-being of both sexes declined during adolescence and girls suffered an even greater decline, according to the study.
However, the study recognized that girls’ self-esteem and well-being stabilized as they transitioned into their late teens, while for boys, it continued to decline. .
Depression and hopelessness
Heavy use of social media has been linked to negative self-esteem and negative well-being regardless of the mental state of young people, with an increase in the number of girls experiencing feelings of depression and hopelessness.
“Those who feel bad can turn to social media, for the sake of comfort or (integration into) society,” Dr Amy Orben, a research fellow at Emmanuel College, Cambridge University, said of the research.
“It’s not a vacuum, it works both ways.”
The research used data on 5,000 young people from England, born in 2000 and 2001.
The study found that family income, exercise and poor maternal health also contributed to the nature of the mental state of young people.
The study said that regular exercise had a positive effect on both sexes.
She added that “participation in various activities and sports will decrease dramatically due to school closures and general closings, which can have negative effects on mental health and well-being.”
It also made several recommendations, including a £ 650million program for schools to fund post-pandemic wellness and increased mental health education in schools.
She added that young people must also have better access to resources, to support mental health and physical activity.
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