Today’s teens not only worry about the latest clothing or music trends, like many generations of teens before them, they also worry about being available on social media 24 hours each day, and that’s costing them sleep.
In a study conducted in Scotland, researchers asked 467 teenagers ages 11 to 17 about their use of social media during the day and at night. In other tests, they examined the teens’ sleep quality, self-esteem, anxiety and depression. They also looked at whether and to what extent the kids felt the pressure to be available on social media all the time.
The researchers found that using social media at any point was significantly related to decreased sleep quality, lower self-esteem, increased anxiety and depression levels in the study participants. Those who log in at night are most affected.
The researchers said that while social media itself is not bad, they did recommend that families create a “digital sunset” time, when the use of all digital screens must stop.
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