Social networks are definitely not done worrying parents, especially when we know that 75% of under-13s use them regularly according to Born Social.
For several years now, questions from parents and health professionals have been multiplying around this thorny subject: are social networks making young people depressed?
While the latest public study by Santé Publique France highlighted an increase in depression of almost 10% in just four years, researchers had so far failed to establish a link with social networks...
Between 7 minutes and 73 minutes per day on social networks
Although the trend does not yet seem to be widespread, the latest study from the NIH (National Institutes of Health) raises an initial alarming observation among younger people.
Indeed, according to the institution which carried out a study over the last three years, younger people have gone from using social networks for 7 minutes to 73 minutes per day.
While the increase in young people suffering from depression is increasing in France, the NIH study published in the scientific journal JAMA Network paints an even less enthusiastic picture. According to the analysis conducted by researchers Jason M. Nagata, Christopher D. Otmar, and Joan Shim, depressive symptoms in younger people have even increased by 35% in the context of social media use.
Depression on the rise due to social media?
Even if the results of the NIH study allow us to quickly make the link between depressive states in younger people and the use of social media, researchers are still very cautious on this subject.
According to Dr. Jason M. Nagata, who led this study, the current state of the report does not allow us to identify whether depressive symptoms are caused by social media, whether they could have accentuated them, or whether they would have been inevitable.
Anticipation on the part of the digital giants?
While this study carried out with nearly 12,000 children raises many questions among parents, some digital players like Meta have already anticipated the upcoming restrictions.
Since last September, Instagram has notably offered an account for teenagers, even going so far as to use artificial intelligence to identify those who pretend to be adults.
For its part, TikTok has also implemented actions from 2023, including a daily usage time limit of one hour. However, this may not be enough if the laws were to change on this subject...
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