One in 10 young people addicted to social media or gaming

More than 10 percent of European teenagers show symptoms of addiction due to social media and gaming use. That is the finding of WHO/Europe based on a major international study. In WHO's view, the study reinforces concerns about the impact of digital technology on young people's mental health. Measures, including instruction in digital literacy, are needed.

The "Teens, screens and mental health" study found that more than one in 10 youth ages 11 to 15 (11 percent) have problematic interactions with social media. This is a 4 percent increase from 2018. More than a third of young people (36 percent) say they interact with friends online nonstop. Fifteen-year-old girls score the highest in this regard. As many as 44 percent are incessantly on social media.

Boys gaming, girls tapping
Girls in general show a more problematic handling of social media than boys. 13 percent of teenage girls exhibit problem behavior compared to 9 percent of boys. Boys, again, are shown by the survey to be more prone to gaming addiction. Measured across both groups, 12 percent have problematic interaction with games. For boys, this is 16 percent versus 7 percent for girls. More than a third of adolescents play games daily; more than one in five (22 percent) do so for more than four hours a day.

Negative consequences
Problematic use of social media and games is characterized by "addiction-like symptoms," according to the WHO. By this the WHO means loss of control over duration and frequency of use, withdrawal symptoms, neglect of other activities and negative consequences on daily life. The latter includes lack of sleep, poor learning performance, anxiety, depression and social exclusion and bullying. The addictive aspects of social media and gaming are all the more worrisome because they are often associated with substance abuse, according to the WHO.

Digital literacy
Given the growing scale of the problems, WHO wants to strengthen manufacturers' accountability. Age limits should apply to social media and there should be a framework for responsible design of digital tools for young people.

Hans Henri Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe, also stresses the importance of "digital literacy. This should enable young people to develop a healthy relationship with the digital world and also give space to the positive aspects of digitalization. "Digital education is crucial for this," Kluge said. "But it is inadequate in many cases. If present, education often does not keep pace with the development of technology. This gap will widen unless governments, health authorities, educators and parents take the problem and its causes seriously."

Learning Climate
For a long time, a debate raged in the Netherlands about the use of cell phones at school. Since the beginning of this year, the use of cell phones, tablets and smart watches is no longer allowed in secondary schools. Since September, this government directive also applies to elementary schools. What is striking in the justification is that the government refers exclusively to the negative impact on the learning environment: "Mobile phones distract and cause students to perform worse." Mental health in the broader sense does not appear in the consideration.