Longer, more frequent use of social media increases mental illness morbidity

The longer and the more frequently teenagers use social media channels, the higher the rate that they develop mental illnesses, a survey in the U.K. has revealed. Notably, teenage girls are more serious in mental health conditions.

The U.K. National Health Service (NHS) said on Thursday a survey of 9,117 aged two to 19 showed that 23.9 percent of girls aged 17 to 19 are suffering from mental problems that can be considered illnesses including depression or excessive nervousness. This rate was more than double that for males (10.3 percent) in the same age group.

NHS says these problems result from, more than anything, side-effects of social media services. Among the teenagers who have symptoms of illness among those aged 11 to 19, as many as 87.3 percent of those surveyed said they were using social media channels every day, while 29.4 percent said they are using it for more four hours daily. Among the teenagers who have no symptoms of mental illness in the same age group, a comparatively lower rate of 77.8 percent said they are using social media every day, while only 12 percent said they are using social media for more than four hours daily.

Teenage girls were found to be using social media for longer hours and suffered from more serious side-effect than their male counterparts. Among the teenage girls aged 11 to 19, as many as 82.5 percent said they are using social media every day, which was higher than teenage boys (75.7 percent). Those who replied they have experienced online bullying, including uploading of unwanted posts, emails or messages last year, were 25.8 percent among the girls, which was higher than boys (16.7 percent) in the same age group.

“Teenagers with mental illness use social media channels for longer hours, and compare themselves with others. Their feelings are also affected significantly by others’ responses to their own social media posts,” the NHS report said. “In contrast, these children do not participate in other groups and have a weak social network in the offline world.”


Jung-Min Dong ditto@donga.com