Does earlier social media use raise children’s risk of depression?

The age at which children first use social media may matter more to their mental health than whether they have an account at all, according to research from UNSW Sydney.

The study involved 365 young people in Australia aged 10 to 15, together with one parent from each family. Researchers asked whether participants had used social media, how old they were when they first used it and whether they still had an account. They also assessed symptoms of anxiety and depression.

About 70% of the adolescents had used social media, and around half had an account. Their average age at first use was 11. Those who started younger reported more symptoms of anxiety and depression.

Lead researcher Susanne Schweizer said the result surprised the team. “What surprised us was that the age at which children first started using social media seemed to have a greater influence on their mental health. This suggests that delaying children’s first exposure to social media could make their mental health healthier,” she said.

The study also found that Australia’s social media restrictions for adolescents had not made young people uniformly want to stop using the platforms. Only about one-quarter of children aged 10 to 15 said they intended to quit.

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What surprised us was that the age at which children first started using social media seemed to have a greater influence on their mental health. This suggests that delaying children’s first exposure to social media could make their mental health healthier.