Study Links Excessive Teen Screen Time to Higher Rates of Depression and Suicide Risk
Summary: New research reinforces earlier findings that increased smartphone and screen use among teenagers is associated with higher rates of depression and suicidal behaviors. Excessive daily screen time is linked to greater risk of depressive symptoms and suicide-related thoughts or attempts.
New evidence indicates that the more time adolescents spend on smartphones and other electronic screens, the greater their likelihood of experiencing depression and engaging in suicide-related behaviors.
A study co-authored by Florida State University Robert O. Lawton Distinguished Professor Thomas Joiner and San Diego State University psychology Professor Jean Twenge, published in Clinical Psychological Science, identifies a clear association between heavy screen use and increased risk for depression, suicidal ideation, and suicide attempts among teens.
“There is a concerning relationship between excessive screen time and risk for death by suicide, depression, suicidal ideation and suicidal attempts,” said Joiner. He recommended parents monitor and track their children’s screen use, noting that the rising time teens spend on devices corresponds with growing mental health concerns.
National data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show sharp increases in depression and suicide among 13- to 18-year-olds since 2010, particularly for girls. The researchers identify widespread ownership and use of smartphones as a likely contributing factor to these trends.
Between 2010 and 2015, the suicide rate for teenagers rose substantially, and the proportion of adolescents reporting severe depressive symptoms climbed as well. These increases were most pronounced among teenage girls—whose suicide rate and reported severe depression rose considerably during that period.
The study found that as smartphone ownership and screen time increased—by 2015 the vast majority of teens had access to smartphones—so did levels of depressive symptoms and suicide-related behaviors. Teens who reported five or more hours per day on electronic devices were markedly more likely to report suicide-related behaviors than peers who used devices for less than an hour a day.
Professor Twenge emphasized the distinction between screen-based and nonscreen activities. Teens who spent more time on social activities, sports, face-to-face conversations, schoolwork, or religious involvement reported higher levels of well-being, while those who spent more time on screens were more likely to report unhappiness and depressive symptoms.
“Teens who spend more time on screens are more likely to be depressed, and those who spend more time on nonscreen activities are less likely to be depressed,” Twenge noted in her book on the generation shaped by smartphones. The research team cautions that their findings show a correlation rather than definitive proof of causation, but they consider the association strong enough to merit parental attention and public health consideration.
Joiner and Twenge advise against extreme responses such as fully banning devices, which they consider unrealistic and potentially counterproductive. Instead, they recommend moderation. Limiting recreational screen time to an hour or two a day, combined with encouraging appealing alternatives—sports, in-person socializing, hobbies, and school activities—can reduce a child’s statistical risk of depression and suicide-related behaviors.
“It comes down to moderation,” Joiner said. “Parents should try to make nonscreen activities as attractive as possible. It is fun to hang out with friends or play sports; remind kids those options are available and enjoyable.”
Source: Dave Heller – FSU
Publisher: NeuroscienceNews.com
Image Source: NeuroscienceNews.com image is in the public domain.
Original Research: The study appears in Clinical Psychological Science.
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Chicago: FSU. “Excessive Screen Time Linked to Increased Suicide Risk.” NeuroscienceNews. December 1, 2017.