'Three hours' on social media increases anxiety and depression risk in kids - hits girls hardest
Children on social media for three hours a day ‘more likely to develop anxiety’.
Children who spend more than three hours a day on social media are more likely to develop mental health problems such as depression and anxiety as teenagers, according to research.
The relationship between these platforms and mental health is "complex", with the effects mainly driven by disruptions to sleep, experts suggest.
The link between social media use and depression was also stronger in girls, the study found.
For the study, researchers at Imperial College London looked at data from the study of cognition, adolescents and mobile phones (Scamp), which was set up in 2014.
The analysis included 2,350 children from 31 schools across London .
The study found children who spent more than three hours on social media a day were more likely to have more symptoms of anxiety and depression as teenagers than those who spent 30 minutes scrolling each day.