An increase in teen depression is being linked to the amount of time they spend viewing social media and watching television, according to a recent study.
The study was done by a Montreal research team from the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Montreal, and Sainte-Justine University Health Research Centre in Montreal. Their findings showed that depression symptoms increased yearly and those who spend more time on social media and above average time watching television may experience more severe symptoms of depression.
"Increasing the use of social media and television by teens can lead to an upsurge in depression symptoms," said the Sainte-Justine University Health Research Centre. "As a result, the more teenagers spend time on social media and in front of the television, the more their depression symptoms worsen."
Activities such as video games and computer use for over-the-internet browsing were also included in the study, but no link was established to an increase in cases of depression during adolescence.
The scientists also concluded there is no indication that screen time is affecting adolescent depression due to reduced physical activity, but there is strong evidence to suggest that interaction in the media, which is more likely to encourage upward social comparisons, is more associated with lower self-esteem, which explains the increase in symptoms of depression.
"Social media and television seem to be modes of communication that frequently expose teenagers to the image of others who are living in more positive situations than theirs," said Elroy Boers, a postdoctoral researcher at the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Montreal. "For example teenagers with perfect bodies and whose lifestyle is more thrilling."
Boers said people are looking for and selecting information in harmony with their current state of mind.
"The algorithmic characteristics of television consumption and, in particular, presence on social media create and maintain a kind of vicious circle by suggesting content similar to users based on their previous search and selection behaviour," Boers added.
The study also found that social media, but not other on-screen activities, could further promote the symptoms of depression among those who already suffer.
Dr. Patricia Conrod, the senior author and a professor of psychiatry at the University of Montreal and researcher at the Sainte-Justine Research Centre, said she hopes the study will help guide the design of new intervention strategies for at-risk youth before the symptoms become clinically visible.
"This conclusion is extremely interesting in the light of prevention, said Conrod. "Early detection of vulnerability to depression gives doctors and parents plenty of time to intervene by adjusting the amount of time young people use social media and television."
The study, published on Monday in the journal JAMA Pediatrics, was done using 3,826 adolescents and assessed screen time and depression during a four year period, using an annual survey in a sample of adolescents who entered the seventh grade in 31 schools in the Greater Montreal area.