Use of social media among youth is linked with unhealthy behaviours

Researchers have discovered that young individuals who utilize social networking platforms are more inclined to partake in risky health actions, such as heightened consumption of alcohol, substances, and tobacco, delinquent behavior, daring sexual conduct, and gambling.
The research was issued in BMJ.
The most compelling proof of damage was observed when individuals were exposed to risky health actions content on social media, like alcohol promotions, especially in terms of alcohol usage and inadequate eating.
As per the researchers, further scrutiny is needed to validate causation, comprehend the impact on health discrepancies, and identify the most destructive aspects of social media.
Even though the usage of social media has rapidly expanded and is increasingly perceived as a mechanism for health advocacy, there are worries regarding how it can impact the hazardous health inclinations of teenagers.
Prior assessments have revealed adverse correlations between social media and numerous risky actions, but they did not specifically scrutinize social media, only inspected university and college students, and did not evaluate the quality of the research.
To tackle this knowledge hiatus, the researchers embarked on exploring the relationship between social media use and hazardous health actions in teenagers (10-19-year-olds).
Their discoveries stem from an examination of over 250 social media analyses reported in 73 research papers from 1997 to 2022 involving 1.4 million adolescents (mean age 15 years).
The majority of the studies were conducted in high-income nations and varied in quality, but the researchers were able to appraise the certainty of evidence using the recognized GRADE system.
Exposure to risky health actions content on social media displayed the most compelling proof of harm, specifically for unwholesome eating and alcohol use, in comparison to zero exposure.
For alcohol usage, stronger connections were observed for teenagers aged 16 years and older and for exposure to user-produced content in contrast to marketer-produced content.
Allocating a minimum of 2 hours per day on social media amplified the probability of alcohol consumption in contrast to less than 2 hours of usage.
The researchers highlight that the majority of social media measures relied on personal recall and they cannot dismiss the possibility that other unmeasured factors, such as parental health risk actions, might have impacted their findings.
Nonetheless, this was a comprehensive and well-devised evaluation, and the researchers took measures to minimize the influence of factors such as variance in research designs and publication bias.
“Experimental and risk-taking actions are an inherent component of adolescence,” they stated. “Nevertheless, as security measures for a digital realm are still evolving, caution across academic, governmental, health and educational sectors may be justified before the hazards of adolescents’ utilization of social media is fully comprehended.” (ANI)