The use of social media – such as Instagram, Tiktok and Snapchat – has become an integral part of adolescent daily life. Almost all 12-18-year-old children have a smartphone and are online many hours a day, according to a recent scientific article entitled “Risk Factors for Problematic Social Media Use in Youth: A Systematic Review of Longitudinal Studies”, published in the ADelescent Research Review.

However, although technology offers many positives, scientists have begun to worry about how teenagers use social media, as this use can in some cases be excessive and harmful.

What leads adolescents to the internet addiction

According to the physician of the Therapeutic Clinic (Alexandra Hospital) of the School of Medicine of the NCSR, Theodora Psaltopoulou (pathologist, professor of therapeutic-epidemiology-prior medicine), the scientific article analyzes 23 research from various countries.

This means the excessive, addictive or forced use, which adversely affects one’s mental or physical health, his or her performance at school, his relationships and his sleep.

Researchers found that there are nine basic categories of factors affecting the development of problematic use on social media:

1. Motivation of Use: Many teenagers use social media to pass their time or to feel that they belong to a group. Some use them to avoid the problems of their daily lives or to feel better. When this is done systematically, it can lead to dependency.

2. Parental factors: Relationships with parents play an important role. When there is no home support or when parents do not set limits on the use of the internet, children are more likely to be seduced. On the contrary, when parents talk to children in an open and positive way, it seems to protect them.

3. Traumatic childhood experiences: Children who have been abused, neglected or increased in a difficult environment, are more likely to turn to social media in an excessive way as a way of leaving reality.

4. Influence by peers: The need for adolescents to be accepted by their team often leads to excessive use of the internet. The phenomenon of peer exclusion is very powerful, as is the comparison with the lives of others through their posts.

5. Thoughts and feelings: When teenagers feel negative emotions, such as regret or anger, they are likely to turn to them to escape. But instead of helping, it often aggravates their situation, creating a vicious circle.

6. Lack of self -control: Those who find it difficult to control their impulses and do not have good emotion management skills are more at risk of developing problematic use.

7. Personality: Features such as the tendency to search for emotions, low self -esteem or narcissistic behavior can make a teenager more vulnerable. For example, children who are constantly seeking confirmation through “likes” and “followers” may end up in excessive use.

8. Mental health: Depression, anxiety and other psychological difficulties are frequent risk factors. Many children who present these symptoms use social media to feel better, but ultimately this use makes them feel worse.

9. The Covid-19 Pandemic: The period of pandemic and social isolation have led many teenagers to increased use of social media, thus increasing the phenomenon of problematic use.

The study points out that the problem is complex and concerns many areas of children’s life and adolescents. To deal with, it takes cooperation of all stakeholders: parents, schools and mental health professionals. It is also suggested to use more objective tools to measure the extent of the problem, such as applications that record the use of a mobile phone, as the questionnaires often do not capture the actual image.

In conclusion, the problematic use of social media is a serious issue that concerns more and more teenagers, Ms. Psaltopoulou notes. Prevention, information and proper interventions are needed to learn to use technology in a healthy and balanced way.