Teens With Mental Health Conditions Spend More Time Daily on Social Media
By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter
THURSDAY, May 8, 2025 -- Adolescents with mental health conditions report spending more time on social media than those without mental health conditions, according to a study published online May 5 in Nature Human Behaviour.
Luisa Fassi, from the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom, and colleagues used data from 3,340 U.K. teens (aged 11 to 19 years) to assess social media use in adolescents with (16 percent) and without mental health conditions.
The researchers found that adolescents with mental health conditions reported spending more time on social media (mean of 50 extra minutes per day) and were less happy about the number of online friends than adolescents without conditions. There were differences in social media use by condition type, with adolescents with internalizing conditions spending more time on social media, engaging in more social comparison, and experiencing greater impact of feedback on mood, alongside lower happiness about the number of online friends and lower honest self-disclosure. Adolescents with externalizing conditions only reported more time spent.
"This highlights aspects of social media use that might present an increased risk to this already vulnerable group and provides a window for future research to ensure that the digital world is safe for all children regardless of mental health status," the authors write.
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted May 2025
Read this next
Health Care Expenditure Expected to Top GDP Growth 2024 to 2033
THURSDAY, July 3, 2025 -- The annual growth in national health spending is expected to be faster than average gross domestic product (GDP) growth during 2024 to 2033, according to...
Considerable Variation Seen in Commercial Pricing for Surgery Services
THURSDAY, July 3, 2025 -- Commercial pricing varies considerably for general surgery services, with facility prices exhibiting greater variability, according to a research letter...
Urinary Metal Levels Tied to Increased Risk for Later Heart Failure
THURSDAY, July 3, 2025 -- There are consistent associations between elevated urinary metal levels and increased heart failure risk over time across geographically diverse cohorts...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.