news

한어Русский языкEnglishFrançaisIndonesianSanskrit日本語DeutschPortuguêsΕλληνικάespañolItalianoSuomalainenLatina

xinhua news agency, london, september 26 (reporter guo shuang) the latest data released by the world health organization's european regional office shows that the proportion of teenagers experiencing social media use problems has increased sharply in recent years, which has triggered people's concern about the impact of digital technology on adolescent mental health. and concerns about the impact on life.

the who recently released a report titled "focus on social media use and gaming among adolescents in europe, central asia and canada." the report is based on a four-yearly health behavior research survey of school-age children, conducted in partnership with the who regional office for europe. researchers surveyed nearly 280,000 adolescents aged 11, 13 and 15 years old in 44 countries and regions in europe, central asia and canada.

the results show that the proportion of teenagers experiencing social media problems has increased from 7% in 2018 to 11% in 2022, and another 12% of teenagers are at risk of being addicted to games.

the study found that more than one in 10 teens (11%) showed signs of inappropriate social media use in 2022, where they struggled to control their usage and suffered negative consequences, compared with 7% in 2018. girls report higher levels of inappropriate social media use than boys, at 13% and 9% respectively; more than one-third (36%) of teenagers report that they often communicate with friends online, with the highest proportion among 15-year-old girls (44%) .

research also shows that one-third (34%) of teenagers play video games every day, and more than one-fifth (22%) of teenagers are addicted to games, usually for at least 4 hours; 12% of teenagers are addicted risks of gaming: boys are more likely to show signs of addiction to gaming than girls, 16% and 7% respectively.

the report defines problematic social media use as a pattern of behavior with symptoms of addiction. symptoms include an inability to control social media use, withdrawal symptoms when not using, an obsession with social media to the exclusion of other activities, and negative effects in daily life due to overuse.

the who regional office for europe (which covers europe and central asia) calls on policymakers, educators and health care providers to prioritize the “digital health” of adolescents and proposes several concrete actions, such as support for health-promoting schools. invest in the environment, strengthen mental health services, promote open dialogue at home, school and community, provide professional training for educators and medical service providers, strengthen platform accountability, etc. (over)