Dr Michelle Dickinson: nanotechnologist on the harm social media does to the teenage mind

How much time does your teenager spend on social media each day?  Adolescence is a vulnerable period for the development of body image issues, eating disorders and mental illness.  New research published in the journal Psychology of Popular Media finds that cutting the amount of time that teenagers spend on social media can significantly improve how they feel about themselves, their weight and the way they look.  The study involved 220 young people aged between 17-25 who spent at least two hours per day on their phones and who also had symptoms of depression or anxiety.  At the start of the study, the volunteers responded to a series of statements about their appearance and weight.    The volunteers were split into two groups - for the first week everyone could use their social media as normal.  For the next three weeks one group were restricted to no more than 1 hour of social media per day, whereas the other group could carry on using social media as normal.  The time-limited group averaged 71 minutes on social media per day whereas the unlimited group averaged 3 hours per day.    At the end of the 4 weeks, the volunteers answered questions about their appearance and weight again. The social media limited group significantly improved how they felt about their overall appearance and body weight were as the unlimited group showed no change.  All parents worry about their children’s well-being, but issues around mental health seem to mount when children hit their teen years.  The study concludes that one of the simplest ways to improve perceptions of body image and mental health in teenagers is to limit the amount of time they spend on social media each day.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.