31/07/2021
📱Ever find yourself endlessly scrolling on social media or not knowing what or feeling able to post? Does it worry you how much time you or your children spend online?
In 2017 a study conducted by the Royal Society for Public Health in the UK surveyed almost 1,500 young people aged between 14 to 24 on how social media platforms can impact health and wellbeing in issued such as anxiety, depression, self-identity and body image.
The research found that 91% of 16-24 year olds use the internet for social networking which was described as more addictive than ci******es and alcohol. The increased use of social media may have also led to higher rates of anxiety and depression in young people which have risen by 70% in the past 25 years.
This has been something I’ve been really interested in since I did my dissertation in 2011. So I remember thinking when this study came out in 2017 whilst I was pregnant with the twins how worrying it was.
A pandemic later and knowing just how much time I wasted online during lockdown makes me really worried about what the situation will be now.
I’ve had an idea floating around for a while to do with this and so ironically I’m doing my research on Insta in my stories 😂 but if you have a minute as you’re scrolling through, it’d be amazing if you could vote.
Is this something that worries you?
Do you think it can ever get better now?
