Academics from Oxford University carrying out a global study of teenage mental health are finding that social media use in teenagers is strongly correlated to higher anxiety and depression, as NHS data shows the number of children being treated by mental health services has surged in recent years, The Financial Times’ Laura Hughes and Amy Borrett report. John Gallacher, professor of cognitive health, who is leading the work, said their initial work had found about 60% of 16- to 18-year-olds spent between two and four hours a day on social media sites and that “We found a linear relationship between higher rates of anxiety and depression and time spent networking on social media sites.” The study said the top five most frequently used social media platforms were Instagram (META), Snapchat (SNAP), TikTok, WhatsApp and YouTube (GOOGL).
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