“Problematic” use of social networking sites is on the rise among young Europeans who are also at risk of developing an addiction to online games, the World Health Organization warned today.

“We need to act now to help teenagers stop the potentially harmful use of social media, which has been shown to lead to depression, bullying, anxiety and poor school performance“, commented the director of the WHO Europe department, Hans Kluge, in a statement.

In 2022, 11% of adolescents (13% of girls and 9% of boys) showed signs of “problematic use” of social media, while in the past this percentage was 7%, according to the data collected in a sample of 280,000 young people aged 11, 13 and 15, from 44 countries in Europe, Central Asia and Canada.

In other words, teenagers showed symptoms similar to those of addiction: inability to control excessive use of the medium, feeling deprived and abandoning other activities to focus on social networking sites, with negative consequences in their daily lives.

This phenomenon is particularly evident among Romanian teenagers aged 13-15, as it affects 28% of these young people.

At the other extreme are Dutch teenagers, with just 3%.

Another source of concern is the fact that a third of teenagers play online every day and 22% of them for at least four hours, the WHO revealed. Of these children, 12% display “problem behavior» against games (16% for boys, 7% for girls).

“It is essential that we take steps to protect young people so that they can navigate the digital environment safely and are able to make choices about their online activities, maximizing the benefits and minimizing the risks to their mental and social well-being,” said a WHO Europe official, Natasha Azzopardi-Muscat.

The UN agency highlighted the benefits of responsible use of social media, especially for those with similar interests.

36% of young men and 44% of 15-year-old girls reported that they are in constant “digital” contact with their friends.

The WHO recommended that national authorities improve the digital environment and educational measures so that young people approach the digital world safely.