Social media is bad for the health of teens, say results of a survey by the Royal Society for Public Health. Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat and Twitter would have a disastrous impact on their well-being, only Youtube would have a positive effect on their mental health.
At the top of the podium of the most harmful social network: Instagram
The 1,479 young people surveyed were asked to assess the impact of the five most famous social networks (Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter and Youtube) on 14 different criteria of health and well-being, such as the effects on sleep, anxiety, depression, loneliness, self-image, bullying, body image and bullying.
The survey showed that social media exacerbates body image disturbances in children and youth and worsens self-worth, sleep problems, feelings of anxiety, depression and loneliness.
Instagram has proven to be the most damaging medium for the mental health of young people. If YouTube promotes sleep disorders, it seems to bring a certain form of well-being to Internet users who feel better understood, less alone and in communion.
“Social networks have become a place where we build ourselves, express ourselves, form relationships, shape our identity and where we learn from the world around us. They are intrinsically linked to our mental health”, explains Shirley Cramer, representative of the Royal Society for Public Health.
Use social networks in moderation
“I’m sure social media plays a role in unhappiness, but it also has benefits. We need to teach kids how to deal with all of this media – good and bad – to prepare them for a world of. increasingly digitized “, concludes Professor Sir Simon Wessely, President of the Royal College of Psychiatrists.
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