Social media use in adolescence is linked to delayed bedtimes, negative self-image and, especially among teenage girls, greater distrust, a new UCL study shows.
In turn, these changes are associated with more symptoms of depression and anxiety, risk of self-harm, and suicidal behaviours several years later.
Published in Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, the study examined how use of social media on the cusp of adolescence (11-years-old) was indirectly associated with a range of psychiatric symptoms, including psychological distress, self-harm and suicidal behaviours, in late adolescence (17-years-old).
The study found three mechanisms linking social media use in early adolescence to small overall increases in subsequent mental health problems. Both boys and girls who were using social media from early on (at age 11) tended to sleep a little later on average, and had more negative thoughts about their physical appearance at age 14, compared to those who had not used social media. Crucially, teenage girls who had been using social media at age 11 reported greater distrust of other people at age 14.
The three key mechanisms, which involved later bedtimes, more negative perceptions of body image, and distrust, mediated the association between early social media use and subsequent mental health problems. These small but significant relationships held true even after adjusting for socioeconomic and demographic factors, any maternal mental health problems, and children's prior mental health difficulties (at age 7).
The findings were based on data from the UK's nationally representative Millennium Cohort Study, which was designed to track the lives of around 19,000 children born in 2000 to 2001 (and who belong to 'Gen Z', that is, children born between 1997 and 2012).
During 2011-2012, at around age 11, the participants were asked: "How often do you visit a social networking website on the internet, such as Facebook or Bebo?". Around three years later, they were followed up and asked about their usual bedtime, their trust in others, and their self-perception. A range of mental health challenges were subsequently tracked another three years later, at age 17.
Lead author, Dr. Dimitris Tsomokos (UCL Institute of Education) said: "These findings suggest that interpersonal distrust was a significant driver of psychiatric symptoms among Gen Z girls who used social media from early adolescence.
""This distrust of others may be a particularly female response to the pressures of social media, which can sadly be fertile ground for social comparison, cyberbullying and perceived exclusion."
"We know that teenage girls display more empathetic concern and tend to place higher value on reciprocal relationships, and perhaps this is what drives greater distrust among them."
As policymakers and parents grapple with how to navigate technology use in childhood, the study's authors recommend greater intervention in early adolescence, focused on fostering a sense of trust and social safety. They believe this can help mitigate the negative impacts of social media usage on young people's long term mental health.
