Adolescents are spending increasing amounts of time immersed in digital world - checking messages on X, tracking likes on Instagram, or scrolling through YouTube or TikTok, says a new report from the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) released on Wednesday in collaboration with the WHO Regional Office for Europe.
However, the study notes gender differences were in the use of social media and digital gaming. Girls reported higher levels of continuous online contact and problematic social media use (SMU), while boys exhibit a higher prevalence of both casual gaming and a heightened risk of developing problematic gaming habits.
Problematic social media use (PSMU) is when someone is unable to regulate their social media use, which negatively impacts their daily life. It's characterized by addictive-like behaviors, such as preoccupation with social media, mood changes, devoting a lot of time and effort to social media, impairing other activities, such as education, work, or relationships.
The report classifies 11% of adolescents as problematic social media users, 32% as intense users, 44% as active users and 12% as non-active social media users.
“Overall, 36% of adolescents reported continuous online contact with friends and others, with 15-year-old girls reporting the highest prevalence (44%),” says the report
The study is based on data from almost 280,000 young people aged 11, 13 and 15 across 44 countries and regions. It offers a nuanced picture of how adolescents are engaging with social media and digital games, highlighting both concerning trends and positive aspects of digital engagement.
The problematic social media use was most commonly observed among 13-year-olds. It hardly varied across socioeconomic groups, but adolescents with lower socioeconomic status had the highest prevalence of non-active SMU.
Compared to the 2017-2018 survey, the 2021-2022 results show an increase in problematic social media use, rising from 7% to 11%.
“Overall, 34% of adolescents reported playing digital games every day, and 22% reported playing for at least four hours on a gaming day. Boys tended to play more frequently and for longer sessions than girls,” the report highlights.
“Daily digital gaming peaked at age 13 for boys and age 11 for girls. Engaging in long gaming sessions (at least four hours) was highest among 13- and 15-year-old boys and remained relatively stable across the age groups for girls,” it adds.
Also read: Australia proposes social media ban for kids to 'have a childhood' - First Check
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