WHO Reports Increase in Problematic Social Media Use Among Teens

The World Health Organization issued a warning on Wednesday about a “sharp rise in problematic social media use” among teenagers in Europe, indicating that it is negatively affecting their mental health.

The organization’s European division also highlighted that more than one in ten adolescents are at “risk of problematic gaming.”

The WHO Europe defined problematic use as when young individuals exhibit “addiction-like symptoms”

“It’s clear we need immediate and sustained action to help adolescents turn the tide on potentially damaging social media use, which has been shown to lead to depression, bullying, anxiety, and poor academic performance,” WHO Europe director Hans Kluge said in a statement.

Addiction-like symptoms include a lack of control over usage, prioritizing social media over other activities, and experiencing negative impacts in daily life due to excessive use.

The WHO’s European region encompasses 53 countries, including Central Asia.

In 2022, 11 percent of adolescents—13 percent of girls and 9 percent of boys—exhibited signs of problematic social media use, an increase from just 7 percent four years prior, according to the health agency.

This data was gathered from 280,000 individuals aged 11, 13, and 15 across 44 countries in Europe, Central Asia, and Canada.

The issue was most common among female teenagers in Romania aged 13 and 15, with 28 percent affected, while it was least common among male teenagers in the Netherlands, where only 3 percent reported such symptoms.

About one-third of adolescents engage in online gaming daily, with 22 percent playing for at least four hours, as per WHO.

Additionally, 12 percent of the overall group were at risk of problematic gambling, with young boys being the most affected at 16 percent, compared to 7 percent of girls.

“It’s crucial that we take steps to protect youth to navigate the digital landscape safely and equip them to make informed choices about their online activities,” Natasha Azzopardi-Muscat, Director for Country Health Policies and Systems at WHO Europe, said in a statement.

Simultaneously, the UN agency emphasized the positive aspects of social media. Among the youth, 36 percent, including 44 percent of 15-year-old girls, reported maintaining constant digital communication with their friends.

Azzopardi-Muscat stated, “Young people should rule social media, and not have social media ruling them.”

WHO Europe urged national authorities to invest in integrating digital literacy into school curricula, improving mental health services, providing training for teachers and healthcare providers, and enforcing accountability for social media companies.

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