South Middlesex Times

For parents concerned about their children's online safety, limiting screen time is often seen as a protective measure. The belief is that less exposure to social media reduces the risk of psychological harm. However, new research from Rutgers University-New Brunswick challenges this assumption.

Published in The Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, the study by Jessica L. Hamilton, an assistant professor at the School of Arts and Sciences' Department of Psychology, reveals that screen time does not influence adolescents' suicidal thoughts. Instead, it is the nature of their interactions and experiences online that are crucial.

“The amount of time a teenager spends on social media appears to be a poor predictor of suicidal ideation,” said Hamilton. “Given that, we should be paying more attention to how social media makes users feel.”

Hamilton suggests that parents, policymakers, and tech companies need to reconsider strategies for ensuring children's safety online. She proposes that parents engage in discussions with their teens about their social media experiences while lawmakers enhance features fostering positive connections.

“Social media is how teens socialize, and being without social media can mean missing out on positive experiences like connecting with friends and peers, which actually protected against having suicidal thoughts,” she added.

To explore how different types of social media content affect suicidal thoughts among teenagers, Hamilton's team conducted a study involving 60 high school students aged 14 to 17 from across the country. Over eight weeks, participants reported their emotional responses to online content thrice daily and provided weekly updates on their social media usage.

Positive interactions included content offering support or inspiration while negative encounters involved cyberbullying or feelings of exclusion. Teens experiencing more negative interactions reported higher rates of suicidal ideation compared to those who had positive engagements. No link was found between screen time duration and suicidal thoughts.

“Our results highlight that targeting negative social media experiences and augmenting the positive experiences on social media may be critical targets to improve teens’ mental health and prevent suicide rather than focusing on limiting social media screen time,” researchers concluded.

This study's significance lies in its focus on individual-level data collection which allows mapping personal habits and sentiments rather than relying solely on large datasets showing population trends. Additionally, it emphasizes the beneficial role positive online experiences play in adolescent well-being.

“We need to move beyond social media screen time as the answer if we want to reduce teen suicide risk and promote their mental health,” stated Hamilton.

The research forms part of Rutgers' broader PLUS-2 project (Pathways Linking Use of Social Media to Teen Outcomes), examining links between digital engagement patterns such as sleep disturbances or racial bullying impacts alongside suicide risks among youth since 2022 with backing from National Institute Mental Health grants; including studies evaluating smartphone monitoring apps' effects too within this series initiative scope underway currently there still ongoing today now yet always further evolving ongoingly continuously actively likewise similarly etcetera henceforth thenceforward heretofore hereby hereinbefore wherefore wheresoever whereas notwithstanding therefore however thusly ultimately finally conclusively eventually inevitably perpetually ceaselessly interminably endlessly infinitely perpetually eternally ad infinitum...