Alexander Muela, Juan Manuel Machimbarrena, Jon García-Ormaza, Jeffrey V. Tabares, Ennio Ammendola, Eneko Sansinenea & Ismael Loinaz
A study concludes that problematic social media use, rather than screen time, is associated with suicidal behavior in adolescents.
Is it really the number of hours adolescents spend on social media that increases the risk to their mental health? A new study published in the Journal of Clinical Psychology in Childhood and Adolescence offers a different perspective. Analyzing a sample of 657 Spanish adolescents aged 12 to 15 years, the researchers found that problematic social media use—characterized by loss of control, constant preoccupation with social media, or continuing to use it despite its negative consequences—is significantly associated with suicidal ideation, suicide attempts, and suicidal cognitions. In contrast, daily time spent on social media did not show a significant association when analyzed alongside problematic social media use. The findings suggest that prevention efforts should focus less on counting screen time and more on understanding how adolescents use social media, promoting healthy social media use and developing preventive programs targeting both young people and their families. The study was conducted by Alexander Muela (University of the Basque Country and Biogipuzkoa Health Research Institute), Juan Manuel Machimbarrena (University of the Basque Country), Jon García-Ormaza (University of the Basque Country, Biobizkaia Health Research Institute, and the University of Vermont), Jeffrey V. Tabares (University of Vermont), Ennio Ammendola (University of Vermont), Eneko Sansinenea (University of the Basque Country), and Ismael Loinaz (University of the Basque Country).
