Sharp rise in dangerous social media use among Scottish children, international study reveals

A new survey by the World Health Organisation (WHO) has revealed a significant increase in problematic social media use among adolescents in Scotland.

Gathering around 280,000 responses from young people, the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study has heightened concerns about young people’s online habits and the impact it has on their mental health.

Findings from the report, which surveyed people across 44 countries in 2022, showed a notable increase in problematic social media use among Scottish teenage girls.

Dangerous use rose by 11 per cent from 2018 to 2022 for those aged 13, nearly double the report’s average for this group.

Five in 10 Scottish girls aged 15 also reported higher rates of continuous online contact than the HBSC average, which stood at less than 40 per cent. Their reported problematic use was also more than double that of 15-year-old boys.

In comparison, Scottish 13-year-old boys reported one of the highest rates of daily gaming – 60 per cent.

In addition, those aged 13 and 15 across both sexes showed slightly higher rates of intense social media use compared to those in England and Wales, particularly among girls. 

Reacting to the findings, Dr Hans Henri P Kluge, WHO regional director for Europe, described digital literacy education as “inadequate” amongst many countries, and claimed that, if available, it “fails to keep pace” with young people and technology.

He continued: “We are seeing the consequences of this gap, with worse likely to come unless governments, health authorities, teachers and parents recognise the root causes of the current situation and take steps to rectify it.”

Two weeks ago a national campaign was launched In Scotland to stop children from spreading violent content across social media in a bid to boost online safety.

The initiative was rolled out in response to the growing number of violent incidents in Scottish schools, which have risen by 50 per cent since the last pre-pandemic school year.

Kluge added: “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.”

Meanwhile, Dr Jo Inchley, lead author of the HBSC study in Scotland, said there are “undoubtedly areas of concern” but added the report will help provide a better approach to supporting young people’s healthy online behaviours.