Teenagers With Mental Health Disorders Spend an Extra Hour on Social Media

Teens with mental health conditions are more vulnerable to the negative effects of social media, a new study finds.
Teenagers With Mental Health Disorders Spend an Extra Hour on Social Media
DimaBerlin/Shutterstock
|Updated:
0:00

Adolescents diagnosed with mental health conditions spend nearly an hour more on social media daily than their peers and are twice as likely to compare themselves negatively with others online, according to new research.

The study, involving adolescents in the UK, suggests troubling patterns for teens with anxiety and depression, who report having less control over their social media use and greater mood fluctuations depending on the comments and likes they receive online.
George Citroner
George Citroner
Author
George Citroner reports on health and medicine, covering topics that include cancer, infectious diseases, and neurodegenerative conditions. He was awarded the Media Orthopaedic Reporting Excellence (MORE) award in 2020 for a story on osteoporosis risk in men.