Irish teenagers who have negative experiences online, such as cyberbullying or sexting, are at higher risk of developing mental health problems, according to new research.
A study of internet use and mental health among more than 4,500 teenagers in the Republic found a significant link between heavy social media use and poorer mental health.
Certain aspects of social media use, such as cyberbullying and sexting (sending and receiving sexually explicit messages), were associated with poorer mental health among adolescents.
The study found that teens who used social media for more than four hours a day were 62 percent more likely to have a diagnosable mental health condition than those who used social media for less than an hour.
Researchers from HSE Public Health analyzed the results of the 2023 Planet Youth Partner survey, which surveyed more than 4,500 young people, mainly aged 15 to 16, from Cavan, Monaghan and north Dublin.
They were asked 20 separate questions designed to assess their mental health in terms of emotional problems, conduct problems, peer problems, and hyperactivity/inattention problems.
Your answers are used to calculate a score, with higher scores predicting a higher likelihood of having a diagnosable mental health condition.
In the study, teenage girls were almost twice as likely to have high scores than men, with 43% of girls claiming to have poor or very poor mental health compared to 22% of boys.
Overall, we found significant links between all aspects of sexting and mental health issues.
People who were asked to share explicit content about themselves were 1.52 times more likely to have a mental health problem, and people who had shared such content were 1.71 times more likely to have a mental health problem.
The report said there was concern about the prevalence of sexting, with 33 per cent of all teenagers being asked to send explicit photos of themselves.
He said the fact that 13% reported actually sending such material was “even more concerning”.
They found that 48% of women and 18% of men had been asked to send sexually explicit content about themselves.
Furthermore, 15% of women and 11% of men said they had sent someone sexually explicit content about themselves.
The survey also found that one in four girls and one in eight boys claim someone has shared sexually explicit content about them without their permission.
Almost twice as many girls as boys (12 percent) reported experiencing online bullying.
According to the survey, screen use is prevalent among teens, with 43% using social media for 2-3 hours per day and 32% using social media for more than 4 hours.
The most popular apps used by respondents were TikTok and Snapchat, followed by Instagram, YouTube, and WhatsApp.
In terms of other types of screen use, 17% watched shows or movies and 11% played video games for more than 4 hours per day.
Late-night phone use is common, with 22% saying they use their phones often or “almost always” from midnight to 6 a.m.
About a quarter of teens admit that they sometimes feel some degree of withdrawal when they are away from the internet.
A similar proportion said the internet often discourages them from doing what they need to do.
The report’s authors pointed out that the rise in smartphone and social media use among young people has coincided with a deterioration in their mental health.
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Fiona Donnelly, one of the report’s co-authors, said: “Spending several hours a day staring at a smartphone is associated with poorer mental health, even if users are just watching shows or movies on their devices.”
However, Dr Donnelly said heavy use of social media was more dangerous, saying: “Not only does it inhibit healthy activities, but it also exposes users to a range of potential negative experiences, including cyberbullying and sexting.”
The researchers said that while their findings have important public health implications, addressing them will require a comprehensive approach that integrates education, prevention, intervention and policy to “create digital environments that support youth mental health and limit exposure to harm.”
The World Health Organization estimates that 13 percent of teenagers have a diagnosable mental health condition, many of which go unrecognized and untreated.
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