Social networking websites can be more addictive than cigarettes and alcohol and can have an overall negative effect on young people’s mental health, says a new report.
The research found that 91% of 16-24 year olds use the internet for social networking which has been described as more addictive than cigarettes and alcohol. The increased use of social media may have also led to higher rates of anxiety and depression in young people which have risen by 70% in the past 25 years.
The Status of Mind report found that most social media platforms have an overall negative effect on teenager’s wellbeing with YouTube being the only exception. The video streaming website was found to have the most positive impact, while major social media website such as Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook and Twitter all demonstrated negative effects.
Instagram draws young women to “compare themselves against unrealistic, largely curated, filtered and Photoshopped versions of reality,” said Matt Keracher, author of the report.
“Instagram easily makes girls and women feel as if their bodies aren’t good enough as people add filters and edit their pictures in order for them to look ‘perfect’,” an anonymous female respondent said in the report.
