Exploring the mental health impacts of phone and social media use

There’s no doubting that smartphones and social media have become integral aspects of all our lives. Studies in the UK have found that adolescents spend on average four hours per day on their smartphones, and up to five hours on social media. But what impact is this having, especially on young people who are already struggling with their mental health?

Thanks to donations from the Orange Tree Trust and the Charles and Elsie Sykes Trust, we’ve supported vital new research in this area, led by Professor Rina Dutta and project managed by Dr Amanda Bye from King’s College London’s Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience.

High levels of problematic phone use

Rina’s latest study has revealed high levels of problematic mobile phone use, disturbed sleep, and self-harm among young people with mental health conditions.

In partnership with YoungMinds, the ‘3S-YP’ study recruited 362 young people aged between 13 and 25 years old who had accessed mental health services in South-East London.

Rina and her team found that more than 80% of the 362 young people had self-harmed at least once, and high levels of depression, anxiety, and disturbed sleep were all common.

On the use of digital technology, more than half reported using social media or their smartphones after midnight on a weekday. As well as this, nearly a quarter were found to use social media for more than five hours on a weekday.

The researchers were able to build an accurate picture of each participant’s behaviour, using innovative research techniques which were co-produced alongside young people with lived experience of self-harm. It included sourcing data from electronic health records, as well as the participants’ smartphones and social media accounts.

Everyone in the study provided data over the course of six months, to establish how patterns of social media and smartphone use can be associated with self-harm and mental health.

A comprehensive approach

Rina says, “While there has been extensive debate about the relationship between social media and smartphone use and rates of self-harm, studies up to this point have largely been limited by their design.”

“Studies so far have only been able to demonstrate associations rather than providing any insight into the relative timings of different behaviours or underlying mechanisms. Our comprehensive approach is allowing us to properly investigate the impact of digital technology on youth mental health.”

Rina says these studies have laid the foundation for future work in this area, which is much needed. “Ultimately, we hope these findings will lead to better support for young people who are struggling with their mental health.”

“Young people from YoungMinds Youth Advisor programme have been involved in every part of this study, using their skills and experience to guide researchers,” says Hannah Kinsey, Head of Training and Service Design at YoungMinds.