Social media damages teenagers'
mental health (Report during corona
pandemic)
By Cristina Criddle
Technology reporter
Teenagers' mental health is being damaged by heavy social media use, a report has found.
Research from the Education Policy Institute and The Prince's Trust
said wellbeing and self-esteem were similar in all children of primary
school age.
Boys and girls' wellbeing is affected at the age of 14, but girls' mental
health drops more after that, it found.
A lack of exercise is another contributing factor - exacerbated by the
pandemic, the study said.
According to the research:
One in three girls was unhappy with their personal appearance by
the age of 14, compared with one in seven at the end of primary
school
The number of young people with probable mental illness has
risen to one in six, up from one in nine in 2017
Boys in the bottom set at primary school had lower self-esteem
at 14 than their peers
The wellbeing of both genders fell during adolescence, with girls
experiencing a greater decline, the report said.
However, it recognised that girls' self-esteem and wellbeing stabilises
as they move into their late teens, whereas it continues to drop for
boys.
'Solace or community'
Heavy social media use was linked to negative wellbeing and self-
esteem, regardless of a young person's mental state, with more girls
experiencing feelings of depression and hopelessness.
“Those who feel worse may turn to social media for solace or
community,” Dr Amy Orben, research fellow at Emmanuel College,
University of Cambridge, said of the research.
“It’s not a vacuum, it works both ways."
The research uses data from 5,000 young people in England from the
Millennium Cohort Study.
Focus groups were also carried out in November to examine the effect
of the coronavirus pandemic on these ages.
Family income, exercise and poor maternal health also contributed to
young people’s mental state, the study found.
But regular exercise had a positive impact on both genders, the report
said.
“Participation in activities and sports will have fallen considerably due
to school closures and lockdown, likely adversely affecting mental
health and wellbeing,” it added.
It also made several recommendations, including a £650m package to
schools for wellbeing funding after the pandemic and an increase in
mental health teaching in schools.
Young people should also have better access to resources for mental
health support and physical activity, it said.
“The transition from childhood to adolescence can be turbulent, and
the findings of this report underline why addressing and supporting
young people’s mental health will only become more crucial as the
impact of the pandemic unfolds,” said Jonathan Townsend, UK chief
executive of The Prince’s Trust.
“Young people are among the hardest hit by the pandemic, so it is
more important than ever that they can access support with their
mental health during this critical time in their lives.”
