Allowing children to use social networks like Instagram and TikTok exposes them to the risk of depression during adolescence, experts suggest.
The link between mental health problems and social media use has long been established — but experts have said it's probably because unhappy children are more likely to turn to social media for distraction and comfort.
But now, a study of 12,000 children aged 9 to 12 in the US appears to have debunked this theory.
Researchers found that 9- and 10-year-olds with signs of depression were no more likely than happy children to spend more time on social media as they approached age 13.
However, 12- and 13-year-olds who spent the most time on social media showed the highest rates of depressive symptoms.
On average, daily time spent on social media increased from just seven minutes to more than an hour when children reached early adolescence.
According to scientists from the University of California, San Francisco, this indicates that "social networks may contribute to the development of depressive symptoms."
Dr. Jason Nagata, a pediatric expert at the University of California, San Francisco, and lead author of the study, said previous research suggested that cyberbullying and lack of sleep could be two possible contributing factors to this problem.
This comes as official figures suggest that almost one in four children in England has a mental health disorder such as depression — up from one in five just a year ago.
The study, published in the online journal Jama Network Open, cited previous research showing that 11-12-year-olds who had experienced online bullying were over two and a half times more likely to attempt suicide within a year compared to those who had not experienced bullying.
Researchers said that parents and children unfortunately face a complicated situation when it comes to social media.
Despite growing evidence of their harms, social networks remain the primary way for children to connect and communicate with peers.
Dr. Nagata said: “As a father of two young children, I know that simply telling children to ‘put away their phones’ doesn’t work.”
However, he added that there are steps parents can take to protect their children.
"Parents can set an example through open and non-judgmental conversations about screen use," he said, GazetaExpress reports.
“Establishing screen-free times for the whole family, such as during mealtimes or before bedtime, can help create healthier digital habits for everyone — including adults.”
However, British experts have criticised the study, saying the observed link between social media use and depression was "weak".
Professor Chris Ferguson, an expert in psychology at Stetson University in Florida, said there is no need for parents to panic over the findings.
"This study finds little evidence that early time on social media is associated with future mental health," he said.
“The reported effects are so small that they are likely statistical noise, not real effects.”
In this study, researchers analyzed data from 11,876 children who participated in the research project between 2016 and 2018 — and were followed for three years.
Social media use was measured through an annual survey of children, while depressive symptoms were measured through interviews with their parents or caregivers.
The researchers said that one limitation of this study was that it required children to be honest about their social media use, which could not be guaranteed.
They added that further research could investigate how exactly social media causes depression — and whether factors like the time of day it is used or the specific device used have an impact.
Calls for more action against cyberbullying are growing in the UK, with campaigners calling on ministers to make it a criminal offence.
One parent who has lost a child and is seeking change is Mariano Janin.
His daughter, Mia, 14, took her own life in 2021 after "hostile" bullying by school boys, both in real life and on social media.
Cyberbullying is not currently a specific criminal offence in the UK, and victims should use existing laws, such as those for protection against bullying. /Express newspaper/
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