This news is not something that excites the cells.
Some teenage girls spend more than five hours a day on their smartphones, and most are likely addicted to social media, an obsession linked to poorer health and well-being. , What a new Finnish study reveals.
“Nearly six hours of daily smartphone use and its impact on adolescents’ well-being are profound,” the study authors said in their findings published Tuesday. Published in the journal “Childhood Disease Archive”.
In Finland, 1,164 female students aged 15 to 16 will be recruited in 2022 to provide data on their screen time, which researchers will use to determine their phone usage and social media usage. I calculated it.
The average time spent using smartphones per day was 5.8 hours, and the average time spent using social media was about 4 hours, with no significant difference between weekdays and weekends.
Participants also rated their health, mood, fatigue, and loneliness.
Researchers estimated that about 17% of teens may be addicted to social media, and 37% showed signs of anxiety disorders.
Social media addiction was associated with higher anxiety levels, poorer body image, poorer health, lower mood, increased fatigue, and increased feelings of loneliness.
“To our knowledge, this is the first study to combine objectively measured smartphone use with validated measures of social media addiction and well-being,” the researchers wrote.
They noted some limitations to the study, including not excluding anyone. Some participants may have had pre-existing mental health problems. GPA was self-reported. Some teens also submitted incomplete phone data.
The researchers say that caregivers should establish tech-free zones and help teens develop interpersonal relationships, while policymakers should prioritize safety and health in social media development. He says companies should be encouraged to do so.
The study authors called U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy’s 2023 recommendations on the impact of social media on youth mental health “an important call to action.”
“While some argue for increased mental health services to address the rise in adolescent anxiety, no service will be sufficient unless the root causes are addressed,” they wrote. There is.
