In total, 3,340 British youths participated in the study, which is published in the scientific journal Nature Human Behaviour. It shows that teenagers with mental health issues spend an average of 50 minutes more per day on social media than their peers.
The researchers have also looked at differences in experiences among teenagers with different types of mental health issues. According to the study, those with anxiety and depression suffered more from their negative experiences online than those with, for example, ADHD. Something that those with anxiety and depression worried more about than others was the number of friends they had online.
According to Anne Marie Albano, child psychologist at Columbia University, the study's results can serve as a warning for families. If one's teenage child is "sensitive due to anxiety, has a tendency to become depressed or feels low, then social media is something to keep an eye on."
The study is based on a survey from 2017 conducted by the public healthcare system in the UK, NHS. The participants were between 11 and 19 years old.
