Instagram and Snapchat are said to have a detrimental effect on the mental health of young people, according to a survey by the Royal Society for Public Health.
Communication by interposed screens has exploded during the decade. But is it for our good? Social networks tend to harm our mental health, according to a new study. This work adds to an abundant literature that highlights the pathogenic potential of these tools.
The study in question is an online survey by the Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH), which surveyed 1,479 users aged 14 to 24. They were asked to rate the impact of Facebook Twitter, YouTube, Instagram and Snapchat on their health and well-being. About fifteen criteria were reviewed (anxiety, depression, loneliness, harassment, perception of the body, sleep disorder, etc.).
Self-deprecation
As a result, Instagram and Snapchat get the worst scores – two image-based networks with a higher propensity to generate anxiety and self-worth. Facebook and Twitter arrive at the same level of danger. Only YouTube appears to have a positive effect on mental health.
These networks, of which adolescents and young adults constitute 90% of users, “can fuel mental health crises”, insists the RSPH, which calls for strengthening risk reduction measures – limiting connection times, identifying the signs mental distress, build a discourse and benchmarks adapted to young people …
Especially since these networks, well used, can have profoundly beneficial effects because they allow us to create links, further underlines the RSPH, which this time agrees in favor of studies suggesting a positive impact of networks on health. mental. Question of use!
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