A new study has challenged fears about screen time because it may not be as bad as many perceive it to be.
The study, led by the University of Manchester, found no link between excessive social media use or more frequent gaming and an increase in symptoms of anxiety or depression over the following year.
The researchers believe these findings challenge the widely held assumption that excessive screen time on these digital technologies is inherently harmful and highlight the need for more subtle perspectives highlighting the need for approaches that take into account context and personal choices.
Qiqi Cheng, the lead author of the study, said: “We know that families are worried, but our results do not support the idea that simply spending time on social media or playing games leads to mental health problems. The story is much more complex than that. »
The study, published in the Journal of Public Healthexamined data from 25,000 students aged 11 to 14 over three consecutive academic years.
The research collected data on their social media use, gaming habits, and depression symptoms such as anxiety and emotional depression.
Researchers analyzed the differences between active and passive social media use, and the results were surprising.
The study found that the overall impact remains the same in both scenarios, whether a child becomes addicted to active scrolling or catastrophic scrolling.
In other words, this specific pattern of social media use does not appear to be the only factor affecting mental health problems.
The study further notes that research often overestimates the risks of using social media while under-exploring its benefits, such as fostering connections, sharing life experiences and therefore enabling self-expression which helps build self-confidence.
