No link between tech and mental health problems
It isn’t a new thought that mobile phones and social media might be having a devastating effect on our mental health, especially that of young people. With screens everywhere, teenagers now are some of the first to live in a world where technology is so firmly ingrained in day-to-day life it’s hard to imagine going just 24 hours without a smartphone.
It is difficult to quantify the effect this hyper-connectivity is having on the mental health of young people in particular, who are learning to grow up both in real life and online. However, a recent Oxford study found that this may not be as bad as first imagined.
The study by the Oxford Internet Institute (OII) looked to discover a potential correlation between device use (including TV viewing and social media) with mental health issues such as depression, suicidal tendencies and even behavioural issues.
Examining 430,000 adolescents (aged between 10 and 15 years old) in both the UK and the US, scientists were looking to see whether, as screen time and device usage increases in the modern-day, whether emotional, conduct and mental health problems have increased in the same way.
Discussing the findings, the OII reported: “The study found little evidence for increases in associations between adolescents’ technology engagement and mental health. Over the eight associations studied, only three indicated some change over time: Social media use and television viewing had become less strongly associated with depression, but, on the other hand, social media’s association with emotional problems had increased. The observed changes over time were, however, small. Consistent changes in technology engagement’s associations with conduct problems or suicidality were not detected.”
These findings show that realistically, although screens are more prominent than they have ever been before, there is no evidence of a significant rise in mental health problems, namely depression, because of this.
However, social media has been shown to cause more emotional problems than ever before. When we think about social media today compared to even a few years ago, it feels a lot more prominent in our society and so it may also be seen as a positive that, although there is more evidence of problems there has only been a small rise compared to the accelerated growth of social media.
READ MORE: Is TikTok safe for our children?
This doesn’t go to say that these problems do not exist and that teenagers who often use devices and social media won’t develop any mental health problems because of that usage. Every child is different and that means something that might not phase one might have a large impact on another. This is why it’s important to always make time to touch base with your children and ensure that they aren’t getting carried away online.
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