More adolescents in Armenia report struggling with controlling social media use - WHO

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YEREVAN, 16 October. /ARKA/. One in ten adolescents struggles with controlling social media use, and the trend is growing in Armenia. New data from the WHO Regional Office for Europe shows a sharp rise in problematic social media use among adolescents, with the average rate in the European region rising from 7% (2018) to 11% (2022)./pp

As WHO notes, the data for Armenia reflects the same trend, with the highest increase seen among girls, who tripled their problematic social media use to 13% from 4% previously. The rate among boys is 12 per cent, up from 6 per cent previously./pp

These figures raise concerns about how digital technology is affecting the mental health and wellbeing of young people in Armenia and Europe as a whole. The data comes from the School Age Children's Health Behaviour Survey (HBSC), a 2022 survey of nearly 280,000 11, 13 and 15 year olds living in 44 countries and regions across Europe, Central Asia and Canada./pp/pp

Among the key findings concerning Armenia:/pp/pp - 10% of boys and 13% of girls said they struggle with controlling social media use, and this has already had negative consequences./pp/pp - 44% of teenagers (highest among 15-year-old girls at 49%) are in constant contact with friends online./pp/pp

Among the key data relating to the European region, it is stated that/pp/pp

- More than one in 10 teenagers (11%) showed signs of problematic social media behaviour and reported struggling with controlling social media use and feeling its negative effects. Girls had higher levels of problematic social media use than boys (13% compared to 9%)./pp/pp

- More than a third of young people (36 per cent) reported being in regular contact with friends online (highest among 15-year-old girls at 44 per cent)./pp/pp

A roadmap for action/pp/pp

While the study results are alarming, they can also be used to identify a roadmap for future action. The WHO Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia calls on policymakers, educators and health professionals to prioritise adolescents' digital wellbeing, urging them to/pp/pp - make health-promoting investments in the school environment based on digital literacy training: schools should introduce evidence-based programmes on responsible social media use, online safety, critical thinking skills and healthy gaming habits./pp/pp

- Improve mental health services: access to confidential, non-judgmental and accessible mental health services that can address issues arising from problematic use of digital technologies should be ensured./pp/pp

- Promote open dialogue: conversations about digital wellbeing should be encouraged in families, schools and communities to reduce stigma and raise awareness./pp/pp

- Train teachers and health professionals: specialised training is needed to provide effective and inclusive education and support for digital literacy./pp/pp - hold platforms accountable: social media platforms need to ensure that they respect age limits and create rules that encourage responsible development of digital tools for young users. -0-/p