Social media 'pressure' on mental health of teenagers

Teenagers' mental health can be put at risk by constant pressure to post on social media, a study has found.

Researchers from Glasgow University questioned 467 teenagers about their night-time social media use.

They also tested sleep quality, self-esteem, anxiety and depression levels against their "emotional investment".

Analysis showed that social media use was related to poorer sleep quality, lower self-esteem and higher anxiety and depression.

Lead researcher, Dr Heather Cleland Woods, said: "Adolescence can be a period of increased vulnerability for the onset of depression and anxiety, and poor sleep quality may contribute to this.
Night-time issues

"It is important that we understand how social media use relates to these.

"Evidence is increasingly supporting a link between social media use and wellbeing, particularly during adolescence, but the causes of this are unclear".

Dr Woods said problems were more prone to arise during night-time social media use.

"While overall social media use impacts on sleep quality, those who log on at night appear to be particularly affected." she said.

"This may be mostly true of individuals who are highly emotionally invested.

"This means we have to think about how our kids use social media, in relation to time for switching off."

The findings of the research are being presented at the BPS Developmental and Social Psychology Section annual conference in Manchester.