Shillong, Sept 29: The suicide of a 10-year-old over use of a mobile phone in Meghalaya is a shocking wake up call for the society and now a study has found “problematic social media use (SMU)” among adolescents rising sharply after the pandemic.

The study, Health Behaviour in School-aged Children under World Health Organisation (WHO), found that problematic SMU has increased from 7 percent to 11 percent from in 2018 to 2022, the highest at age 13.

Since 2018, a large increase in problematic SMU has been seen among girls, with a six percent rise among 13-year-old girls between 2018 and 2022. Boys reported a higher prevalence of both non-problematic gaming and being at risk of problematic gaming.

Problematic SMU is associated with addiction-like symptoms with inability to control social media use, neglect other activities, frequent arguments over SMU, lying about use of SMU, feeling distressed and remaining preoccupied with thoughts of SMU when not online.

Such addictive behaviour has been linked to lower mental, social and school well-being and the highest level of substance use, researchers found. Problematic gaming, on the other hand, was associated with lower life satisfaction, more frequent psychological complaints and lower peer support.

“The mitigation measures put in place by countries around the world to stop the spread of the virus, changed the way children and young people live their lives,” Hans Henri P Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe, said.

This survey was conducted in 2020-22 and the report released this year covered 280,000 children aged 11, 13 and 15 years across 44 countries and regions in Europe, central Asia and Canada.

The study categorised SMU into four categories: non-active users (weekly or less frequent online contact), active users (online contact with others daily but not all the time), intense users (online contact with others almost all the time throughout the day) and problematic users (having six or more symptoms of problematic use regardless of the online contacts with others).

It found 44 percent active users. Intense users (32 percent), 12 percent non-active users and 11 percent were problematic users. Interestingly, “social well-being, measured in terms of levels of peer and classmate support, was highest among the intense users.”

Researchers say social media and digital gaming can be beneficial for young people, but a growing number of adolescents seem to use these technologies in a problematic way.

“Unprecedented level of information sharing and exposure and diverse viewpoints presents both opportunities and challenges for the adolescents,” as social media blurs the boundaries between the physical and digital world.

Some of the opportunities include construction of self-identity, formation of peer relationships, exploration of interests and exposure to societal norms.

The challenges are concerns related to privacy, cyber-bullying, addictive behaviours and potential negative impacts on mental and physical well-being.

The study recommended that policy-makers “critically consider regulation and access to digital technologies for young people. Regulatory frameworks to ensure age-appropriate content, robust parental and educational guidance, and equitable access are crucial.”

This includes framing “tailored” policies and programmes to foster healthy online behaviours with the involvement of parents, policymakers, teachers and adolescents to identify intensive and problematic social media use.

Establishing clear smartphone usage policies in school environments and identifying intense and problematic users, supported by media and emotional literacy programmes. The industry too has its role to play and enforce age restrictions for social media access and prevent rewards for gaming.

Moreover, all stakeholders should ensure that adolescents strive for a balance between online and real-life activities, including sleep, exercise, nutrition, academics, and peer connections.

Parents and teachers should understand age limits and discuss social media with youth before they engage with online platforms.

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