Internet, Social Media Affect Your Teen’s Mental Health; Why You Should Limit Their Social Media Use

Everything in excess is bad, as the saying goes. With technology developing as fast as one could have imagined a few years back, it also brings in disadvantages, particularly in human health. Recent studies reveal more evidence that the use of social media and the Internet can put children's mental health at a greater risk.

It has long been a pressing question, what harm can social media and the Internet cause to human. New studies from the McMaster University and the Centre for Addictions and Mental Health in Canada showed that adolescents and young adults are more likely to suffer mental health issues because of their heavy usage of social media sites, including watching online videos and browsing the web.

Researchers at McMaster University in Canada surveyed 254 university-aged students and found that those who are addicted to using social media sites and the Internet are at a higher risk of suffering from depression, anxiety, impulsiveness, inattention, executive functioning or ADHD, as per Mirror Online. They have more trouble dealing with their everyday activities and life at home, at work, school and in other social settings.

Analyzing over 10,000 adolescents, researchers at the Centre for Addictions and Mental Health arrived at similar results, according to the Huffington Post. The analysis revealed that young adults who use social media and the Internet for more than two hours a day are more likely to rate their mental health as "fair" or "poor" compared with those who only use such technology occasionally.

The results of these studies highlight the needs for parents to take a proactive role in guiding their teenagers to mitigate the effects of heavy social media use in their lives. Parents should guide their children about proper use of the Internet and how they should conduct themselves online. They should also encourage their children to engage in a real world social settings and unplug from the virtual world. Doing so could help reduce mental health risks and lead them to live healthier and happier lives.