Young people who abuse social networks are more prone to mental and social problems, study confirms

To carry out the review, led by James Cook University (Australia) researcher Sam Teague, the team analyzed 153 studies with children and adolescents aged 2 to 19 years who were followed up for twenty years.

The work revealed that greater use of digital media was systematically related to more depressive symptoms and behavioral problems, a greater risk of self-harm and addictions, and poorer school performance.

But of all digital media, social media was the most problematic areaaccording to the study.

“Young people who used social media more frequently were more likely to have symptoms of depression, behavioral difficulties, substance use, self-harm, and poorer academic performance later in life,” Teague says.

“The clearest pattern we observed was between social media use and later problematic media use, suggesting that early engagement patterns can become entrenched and become more difficult to manage over time,” he explains.

Video games, however, showed a different pattern and although they were related to higher levels of aggression and behavioral problems (fostered by violent content) they were also associated – although modestly – with a greater capacity for executive functioning and attention, possibly reflecting the cognitive demands of some games.

The study also observed that the trends were more pronounced in early adolescence and in more recent studies (from the last 12 years), which, for the authors, reflects the rise of immersive platforms (those that use virtual reality) and based on algorithms to attract adolescents and achieve more intense and addictive usage patterns.

And although the strong correlation found between digital media use and problems does not prove that one is a direct cause of the other, “the consistency of the results in a large number of long-term studies raises important public health concerns,” warns Teague.

“When patterns are repeated across different countries, age groups, and study designs, they need to be taken seriously,” he says.

For lead author Delyse Hutchinson, a clinical psychologist at the Lifespan Institute at Deakin University in Australia, these findings highlight the need to shift focus from focusing solely on the amount of time spent in front of screens, but rather on improving the quality and safety of the digital environments young people visit.

“It is not just about families managing the devices,” explains the researcher, because “digital platforms are intentionally designed to maximize participation.” It is the governments, which establish regulatory standards, and the technology companies, who “determine the architecture of these environments,” the expert emphasizes.

And “if we see a consistent relationship between more intensive use and poorer development outcomes, then the responsibility must also fall on those who design and manage these systems,” he believes.

For Hutchinson, it is necessary to design platforms to adapt them to the age of users, reduce persuasive or addictive characteristics, increase protection of the privacy of minors and enable “clearer” accountability mechanisms for platform operators.

“Digital technology brings real benefits, but we need systems that prioritize the well-being of children,” he concludes.

In parallel, the authors encourage parents to maintain open communication about the time they spend online, set consistent limits, and prioritize sleep and activities not related to the digital world.