Youth are growing up in a digital world with screen time and social media being a part of their daily routine. Some experts are divided on whether an increase in teen suicides in the United States can be attributed to an increased use of social screen media.
New research findings published in Wiley Online Library’s Developmental Science journal suggest that current survey data does not support the contention that there are links between screen use and mental health issues. The “Links Between Screen Use and Depressive Symptoms in Adolescents Over 16 Years: Is There Evidence for Increased Harm?” journal article is based on research by Chris Ferguson, Ph.D., professor of psychology at Stetson University.
Dr. Ferguson is a media effects, screen, video game, and virtual reality expert. The research study used the Florida Youth Risk Behavior Survey data from 2001-2017 to track effect sizes for screen/depression correlations.
A second dataset from the United Kingdom Understanding Society was used to study the association between the time spent on social media and emotional problems. Dr. Ferguson’s research indicates that screen use and social media are not associated with teen mental health issues and there is no evidence that shows screen time has contributed to the rise in teen suicides.
