Young people from economically weaker backgrounds are more prone to social media addiction than their peers from other backgrounds. This is according to the international study “Health Behavior in School-aged Children” (here) with the participation of the World Health Organization (WHO) (here). The results can be read in the specialist journal “Information, Community and Society”.
Family background relevant to social media addiction
The researchers anonymously surveyed 179,049 girls and boys aged eleven, 13 and 15 in 43 countries, including most European countries. Those from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds are more likely to report being addicted to Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and other social media. In schools where there are large social differences between families of classmates, the gap is particularly noticeable, according to the survey.
“These findings highlight the potentially deleterious influences of inequality at the individual, school, and national levels on youth’s problematic social media use. Policymakers should develop measures to reduce inequalities to limit maladaptive patterns of social media use among youth.”
Lead author and psychologist Michela Lenzi from the University of Padua
Negative behavior patterns include students' inability to reduce screen time and lying to their friends and family about social media use, according to the study.
Social media addiction affects the economically disadvantaged
Many young people use social media every day. Their benefits for well-being are just as well documented as the risks.
Problematic social media use (PSMU) is not officially recognized as a behavioral addiction. However, it is considered a health problem that affects girls and boys.
The main aim of this study was to examine for the first time the associations between socioeconomic inequalities measured at individual, school and national levels on adolescent PSMU. The results of the study show that those who were disadvantaged compared to their peers and attended economically unequal schools were more likely to experience PSMU. In another study, 35 percent of US teenagers surveyed said they use at least one social media portal “almost constantly” ( HERE ).
Further information about the study can be found here.
Source: press release
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