A recent study from the University of California, San Francisco, suggests that pre-teens with increased exposure to specific types of technology may be at a higher risk of developing manic symptoms.
Published in the journal Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, the study examined 9,243 children aged 10-11 across the U.S.
Youth who spent more time engaging with social media, texting, videos, and video games were more likely to exhibit behaviors characteristic of manic episodes, such as inflated self-esteem, decreased need for sleep, distractibility, rapid speech, racing thoughts, and impulsivity.
“This study emphasizes the importance of establishing healthy screen habits early on,” said co-author Kyle Ganson, PhD, assistant professor at the University of Toronto’s Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work.
Tips for safer use from experts
As part of the Global Day of Unplugging, Verizon hosted a “digital wellness summit” in New York City to discuss safe technology use.
Sowmyanarayan Sampath, CEO of Verizon Consumer Group, stressed the necessity of setting digital boundaries, especially for children.
“There is a healthier relationship people can have.”
“Digital wellness applies to all ages, but parents need a new strategy due to the unique challenges of technology today,” Sampath mentioned.
Excessive use of social media, texting, videos and video games by young people of certain ages was linked to a higher risk of mental health issues in a recent study.
Tech’s impact on kids
Dr. Keneisha Sinclair-McBride, attending psychologist at Boston’s Children’s Hospital, highlighted the negative impact of prolonged phone use on kids, including the risks of cyberbullying and hate speech.
“We know these are associated with depressive symptoms and other mental health concerns,” she mentioned.
“We also know that there’s a lot of positive aspects to social media, but we need to find a balance.”
She also pointed out that certain social media apps are engineered to keep users engaged through algorithms.
Socializing with others can have a positive impact on kids’ moods, experts suggested.
This problematic usage…
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.”We know that this generation enjoys a variety of activities and not just digital ones,” she added.
She recommended giving children the freedom to explore offline hobbies and activities.
Experts advocated for kids to be given more time to explore tangible activities and hobbies instead of defaulting to digital.
“I think people are in this mindset that this generation only wants to do digital, digital, digital,” she added.
“They still like other stuff, too. We have to give them options, space and freedom to have that time.”
