Frequent social media use harmful for high school students, study finds

Frequent social media use is potentially harmful for adolescent mental health among U.S. high school students, according to research published in a supplement to the Oct. 10 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Emily Young, M.P.H., from the CDC in Atlanta, and colleagues estimated the prevalence of frequent social media use and experiences with bullying victimization, persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness, and suicide risk using data from the Youth Risk Behavior Survey.

The researchers found that 77.0 percent of students reported frequent social media use, with differences observed by sex, sexual identity, and racial and ethnic identity.

Both in overall and in stratified models, frequent social media use was associated with a higher prevalence of bullying, victimization at school and electronically, persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness, and some suicide risk (considering attempting suicide and having made a suicide plan).

“Although additional research is needed to understand precisely how social media use differentially affects adolescent risk for bullying victimization, poor mental health, and suicide, existing evidence-based prevention strategies can be used by families, schools, and communities to promote adolescent mental health and prevent injury and violence,” the authors write.

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