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Cited by 424Impact of Technology on AdolescentsChild Development and Digital TechnologyMental Health via Writing

Frequent Use of Social Networking Sites Is Associated with Poor Psychological Functioning Among Children and Adolescents

Sampasa-Kanyinga, Hugues, Lewis, Rosamund F.·2015·Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking
DOI 10.1089/cyber.2015.0055
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Abstract

Social networking sites (SNSs) have gained substantial popularity among youth in recent years. However, the relationship between the use of these Web-based platforms and mental health problems in children and adolescents is unclear. This study investigated the association between time spent on SNSs and unmet need for mental health support, poor self-rated mental health, and reports of psychological distress and suicidal ideation in a representative sample of middle and high school children in Ottawa, Canada. Data for this study were based on 753 students (55% female; M age =14.1 years) in grades 7–12 derived from the 2013 Ontario Student Drug Use and Health Survey. Multinomial logistic regression was used to examine the associations between mental health variables and time spent using SNSs. Overall, 25.2% of students reported using SNSs for more than 2 hours every day, 54.3% reported using SNSs for 2 hours or less every day, and 20.5% reported infrequent or no use of SNSs. Students who reported unmet need for mental health support were more likely to report using SNSs for more than 2 hours every day than those with no identified unmet need for mental health support. Daily SNS use of more than 2 hours was also independently associated with poor self-rating of mental health and experiences of high levels of psychological distress and suicidal ideation. The findings suggest that students with poor mental health may be greater users of SNSs. These results indicate an opportunity to enhance the presence of health service providers on SNSs in order to provide support to youth.

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Crossref · 10.1089/cyber.2015.0055

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  • Sampasa-Kanyinga and Lewis (2015) found that daily social media use of over two hours was associated with psychological distress in a Canadian sample.

    “By contrast, Sampasa-Kanyinga and Lewis (2015) in Canada found that daily social media use of over two hours was associated with psychological distress.”

    From A systematic review: the influence of social media on depression, anxiety and psychological distress in adolescents (2020) · cites this paper as Sampasa-Kanyinga and Lewis (2015)

  • Higher levels of social media use are associated with psychological distress.

    “A wealth of evidence suggests higher levels of social media use are associated with symptoms of anxiety [3-5], symptoms of depression [3,6-8], decreased psychological well-being [9], lower self-esteem [3], psychological distress [10-12], and loneliness [5].”

    From Problematic Social Media Use in Adolescents and Young Adults: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. (2022) · cites this paper as [10]

  • Past research predominantly considers SMU as a single entity, either evaluating it as a single construct, or evaluating only singular, or a small number of, social networking sites.

    “Finally, past research is limited in that it predominantly considers SMU as a single entity, either evaluating it as a single construct, or evaluating only singular, or a small number of, social networking sites (SNSs; Bettman et al., 2021; Marino et al., 2018; Sampasa-Kanyinga and Lewis, 2015).”

    From Investigating the links between objective social media use, attentional control, and psychological distress (2024) · cites this paper as Sampasa-Kanyinga and Lewis, 2015

  • Reading for pleasure may reduce children's time spent on activities that may cause psychological distress, such as watching TV or interacting with social media.

    “Another potential explanation is that reading for pleasure may reduce children's time spent on activities that may cause psychological distress, such as watching TV or interacting with social media (Hamer et al., 2009; Sampasa-Kanyinga and Lewis, 2015).”

    From Longitudinal associations between reading for pleasure and child maladjustment: Results from a propensity score matching analysis (2020) · cites this paper as Sampasa-Kanyinga and Lewis, 2015

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Authors
Sampasa-Kanyinga, H., & Lewis, R. F.
Affiliations
  • Ottawa Public Health
  • Ottawa Public Health (CA)
ORCID
Lewis, Rosamund F.
Venue
Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking
Publisher
SAGE Publications
Published
2015-07
Volume
18
Issue
7
Pages
380-385
ISSN
  • 2152-2715 (ISSN-L)
  • 2152-2723
DOI
10.1089/cyber.2015.0055
OpenAlex
W1849635709
Cited by
424
References
33
Citations by year
2026: 18 · 2025: 28 · 2024: 41 · 2023: 45 · 2022: 60 · 2021: 48 · 2020: 52 · 2019: 50 · 2018: 38 · 2017: 17 · 2016: 23 · 2015: 4
FWCI
90.48
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
journals.sagepub.com/page/policies/text-and-data-mining-license (tdm)
Locations
  • Cyberpsychology Behavior and Social Networking (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
York University
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Impact of Technology on Adolescents
  • Social Sciences › Education › Child Development and Digital Technology
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Mental Health via Writing
Keywords
social networking sites, youth mental health, adolescents, children, psychological distress, suicidal ideation, unmet mental health needs, self-rated mental health, screen time, virtual care
MeSH terms
Adolescent, Canada, Child, Female, Humans, Male, Mental Health, Stress, Psychological, Students, Suicidal Ideation, Social Networking, Social Media

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