Should we give up smartphones? New research has found that as social media use goes up, so does anxiety. Some think it is time for us all to turn off our phones.
Social media blamed as anxiety soars
Should we give up smartphones? New research has found that as social media use goes up, so does anxiety. Some think it is time for us all to turn off our phones.
A new surveyWhen you ask a group of people questions about what they think about a particular topic. of thousands of people aged 16 to 18 in the UK has found that using social mediaSocial media is defined by websites, apps and social games that connect people to each other through the sharing of pictures, thoughts, ideas, articles, and other content. is linked to being anxiousWorried. .
The study was carried out by scientists at the University of OxfordA top university in the UK. , who worked with The Day.
Sixty percent of the teenagers said they spent between two and four hours a day on social media.
Other research has also linked social media use with poor mental healthThe part of your health that has to do with your mind, your thoughts and feelings.. Even MetaThe new name of the company which owns Facebook and Instagram., one of the world's biggest social media companies, found that some teenage girls who use InstagramA social-networking service that allows users to share photographs and videos. report worse body imageThe thoughts and feelings you have about your body. , sleep, eating habits and feelings of anxietyA feeling of unease or worry. It can be mild or very severe..
Today, more and more children are receiving mental health treatment. From 2023 until March of this year, 20% of 16- and 17-year-old girls in England had been in touch with NHSThe National Health Service, the publicly funded healthcare system in the UK. The NHS was founded in 1948. mental health services.
This is why some think the only answer is to treat smartphonesA phone that works in the same way as a computer, with apps, access to the internet and more. the way we do cigarettes. Cigarette companies once used animal cartoons to appeal to children, but this practice was banned when everyone began to agree that smoking can make you ill.
Others say we should think more before we act. They argue that social media is key for many young people, who can find others with whom they fit in with online. Some think its name is true: social media makes us more social, not less.
Should we give up smartphones?
Yes! We are all addictedUnable to stop doing something. to our smartphones. The only way forward is to give them up. Nobody needs a smartphone. We would be better off without them.
Others think
No! We should not make a step backwards in the world of technology. Cars kill, for example, but few want to completely ban them. We need to teach people how to use smartphones in a safe way.
Survey - When you ask a group of people questions about what they think about a particular topic.
Social media - Social media is defined by websites, apps and social games that connect people to each other through the sharing of pictures, thoughts, ideas, articles, and other content.
Anxious - Worried.
University of Oxford - A top university in the UK.
Mental health - The part of your health that has to do with your mind, your thoughts and feelings.
Meta - The new name of the company which owns Facebook and Instagram.
Instagram - A social-networking service that allows users to share photographs and videos.
Body image - The thoughts and feelings you have about your body.
Anxiety - A feeling of unease or worry. It can be mild or very severe.
NHS - The National Health Service, the publicly funded healthcare system in the UK. The NHS was founded in 1948.
Smartphones - A phone that works in the same way as a computer, with apps, access to the internet and more.
Addicted - Unable to stop doing something.
Social media blamed as anxiety soars

Glossary
Survey - When you ask a group of people questions about what they think about a particular topic.
Social media - Social media is defined by websites, apps and social games that connect people to each other through the sharing of pictures, thoughts, ideas, articles, and other content.
Anxious - Worried.
University of Oxford - A top university in the UK.
Mental health - The part of your health that has to do with your mind, your thoughts and feelings.
Meta - The new name of the company which owns Facebook and Instagram.
Instagram - A social-networking service that allows users to share photographs and videos.
Body image - The thoughts and feelings you have about your body.
Anxiety - A feeling of unease or worry. It can be mild or very severe.
NHS - The National Health Service, the publicly funded healthcare system in the UK. The NHS was founded in 1948.
Smartphones - A phone that works in the same way as a computer, with apps, access to the internet and more.
Addicted - Unable to stop doing something.