Young people are struggling to cope with pressures of social media sites, studies find

Young people are experiencing depression, anxiety, and sleep deprivation because they feel a constant need to be on social media sites 24/7, according to new research.

Professors from the University of Glasgow questioned over 460 respondents aged between 11 and 17 regarding their overall – but specifically night-time – social media use, and also measured sleep quality, self-esteem, and emotional investment in the sites.

Results showed how a constant need to make themselves available online was making teens feel tired, down, and anxious as they struggled to keep in-the-loop with what was happening on the Internet.

One of the researchers, Dr Heather Cleland Woods, described how adolescence can be a period of increased vulnerability for the onset of depression and anxiety, with poor sleep quality contributing to this. Continue reading.

Originally posted on The Independent.